Epitaph
by kittsbud
Summary: After an explosion at Luthorcorp can Smallville ever be the same? It's up to Chloe to unravel the mystery and find a shocking discovery... Chloe POV
1. Chapter 1

Death- not really a word I had ever connected to Clark Kent. Not before I knew his secret and most definitely not afterwards. Somehow, though, it had happened.

As the priest spoke his last words, and I looked down upon the pure white casket being lowered into a far too early grave, I still couldn't make myself believe. The sobbing of the crowd around me rang through my ears, but I shed no tears. I just couldn't. I had always assumed I would be the one who would die young, killed by my over-zealous reporter's enthusiasm, but no, it had to be my heroic, plaid wearing friend. In my head I saw him flash me that mile-wide, innocent grin and I shuddered. It was almost as if for an instant he had been with me, reassuring me everything would be alright. _Except it won't, not this time, Clark. _

A supportive hand squeezed mine, and I looked up to see my cousin Lois nod at me in understanding. She had been a rock since it had happened, and I could only wonder what I would have done without her presence. I smiled wanly back at her sorrowful face and then cast my eyes up across the cemetery.

Beyond the tombstones and stark granite monuments I saw the hardened face of Clark's killer. He had never been arrested, and there had never been any evidence against him, and yet sure enough, I knew Lex Luthor had been responsible. I had been there, after all.

At my piercing gaze, his eyes dropped to the floor in guilt, but I felt no pity for him. Lex knew what he had done, and even today he still couldn't face Jonathan and Martha Kent over it. I shot the bald millionaire one last hate-filled glance and then turned my attention to Clark's parents.

How Jonathan had coped over the last few days considering his heart condition I would never know. Somehow, though, he had kept everything together and even managed to console Martha somewhat. If you can console a mother who has lost her only son. _Why…why, dammit?_

I sensed my own, demanding thoughts mirroring those of the Kents, but of course, there was no real answer. The only person who knew that was a megalomaniac who had driven a Porsche off a bridge one day, setting a chain of events in motion that had brought us to this dark, unfriendly place.

I gulped, and as I watched Martha cling tightly to her husband, I finally forced myself to look at the words engraved deep and true into Clark's headstone.

**Clark Joseph Kent**

**He saved us every day he was with us**

I read it twice, and this time my eyes began to water.

Lois patted my arm, and silently handed me a tissue. She had always known of my love for the farmboy, and had always said one day he would break my heart._ Just not like this, Lois, huh?_ I took the tissue, perhaps snatching a little too fast in my sorrow, and it tore in my hand. Torn, that was the way my heart felt right now. I sniffled, and eventually wiped my face dry so that I could gently toss a lone rose on the now sunken casket. I don't know if it was fitting, but it was something I had to do. It was what Clark would do for me, I was sure of it.

Finally, I took one last look at the words the Kents had chosen as an epitaph for their son. They may have been perfect to summarise their love, but in that moment I had a different kind of eulogy in mind. _Clark, you didn't die for nothing. I'll bring Lex to justice. I'll make the world remember…_

"Chloe, it's time to leave…" I had never heard Lois' voice so low and respectful. She pulled gently on my sleeve, but I shrugged her off, hell bent on my own agenda.

"Not yet," I hissed, and looked around rapidly, searching for Lex among the milling crowds that were leaving. In the corner, I spotted him standing near the angel monument that was near to the Lang's grave. He was still watching, and I saw his eyes shift from Lana's sobbing countenance to mine. Our eyes locked for an instant, and suddenly I was thrown back in my mind, back to the day it had all happened…

"So, are you really sure Lex is doing this for the good of mankind?" I cocked my head, and flicked out a wisp of blonde hair before it had chance to be blown into my eyes from the light northerly breeze. "I mean, come on, the Luthors aren't known for their save the world attitude!"

Clark looked back at me with his usual trusting stare as he headed through the Luthorcorp security gate with me in tow. "Chloe, he's been working on this project for months! He says this time his scientists have finally worked out the glitches to grow fruit in sand with hardly any water. Just think of the millions of third world countries this could help!"

I sighed. Clark always saw the better in people, even Lex. While I understood Clark's enthusiasm, I was less than impressed. Being at the receiving end of a Luthorcorp experiment once had put me off the dang things for life. "Forgive my negativity," I shook my head, "but why has Lex decided to invite us both over for a grand tour of his latest achievement?"

"I guess he wants you to use your reporting skills to make people see he's actually doing good work here. You know how it got after the level three fiasco…" The puppy eyes appeared and he shuffled uncomfortably, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his trademark red jacket.

I wanted to melt, of course, but I couldn't. Even that early in our visit my senses were on high alert. I knew Clark's secret, and after the day in the caves I was unsure just how much Lex knew too. Was this all an elaborate lure to get Clark near a lab? Abruptly, I wanted to grab my tall and far too trusting friend, and drag him back to my car. _What if Clark gets too close to meteor rocks? I'm sure they were part of the original experiment. What if that's Lex's plan?_

"Clark, I still think there was some truth to the level three rumors and I'm not sure Lex wasn't involved." I shot him a look that said 'wake up farmboy,' and then offered the warning, "And don't forget level three was all about meteor rocks!"

His eyes suddenly narrowed and I definitely saw a look of panic. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just be careful in here, Clark…" I rolled my eyes as Lex arrived on scene from some guarded side door.

Luthor looked at his watch. "You're actually on time, Clark." He smirked, but I didn't find his quip funny. Lex had all but kidnapped me the day of the second meteor shower, and it was something I was not about to forget. Pity I couldn't explain that to Clark, but that would have meant admitting everything else I knew about that day too.

Clark let the punctuality joke fly over his head and turned to me. "I'm always on time when I have Chloe as my sidekick."

Lex nodded and I saw a glint in his eye that obviously should have meant something to me but didn't. "I've arranged for Richard Mitchell to be your guide this morning," He gestured t his left and a figure in a white lab coat magically appeared from yet another side door. "You two probably know him from school."

I screwed up my nose at the sight. Rich Mitchell was not on my list of favourite people. He'd graduated Smallville High a few years before Clark and me, but I still recalled the stories I'd written about him in perfect clarity. Mitchell had been a genius for his age, but also a complete bully. How he had ended up at Luthorcorp was a complete mystery, but I guessed his ruthless attitude was something the Luthors probably saw as a great personality trait in an employee.

"Do we really need an escort?" My irked manner must have been obvious.

Lex brow creased and he smirked at me. "We have sensitive equipment in the labs, Chloe. Surely you understand I have to be careful. Visitors safety is of paramount important here at the plant."

I huffed and Clark rolled his eyes. "Chloe…."

"Okay!" I waved my hands in the air in defeat. "Let's get the show on the road. Lead the way, farmboy!"

I began to follow Clark and the eerily silent Rich Mitchell when Lex swiftly took hold of my forearm and held me back. "Can I have a quick word, Chloe? You'll soon catch Clark and Richard up."

A chill ran through my heart. Lex wanted Clark out of the way while he grilled me yet again about the caves, I was sure of it. _You won't get a thing out of me, Luthor!_ "I'd rather not." I shot angrily back. "I came here for a tour, not an interrogation."

At my sharp words I saw Clark pause and glance at me in concern. He had no clue what Lex and I were talking about- or rather not talking about, but he knew I was angry, and to be honest a little afraid.

"Are you okay, Chloe?" His eyes danced with a spark of sudden unease.

I looked to Lex and pulled my arm free, but I wasn't about to show him I was afraid. No, maybe it was time to turn the tables and bring the inquisition to him. I shot Clark a false smile. "I'm fine. I'll catch you right up in a minute," I offered with fake cheer.

Clark seemed unsure, but he turned and left with Mitchell, knowing I wouldn't take no for answer. Once they'd left the corridor I turned back to Lex who was still flashing me his sly grin.

"You may fool Clark, but you don't fool me, Chloe. It's time we talked about the caves and what you know…" He stared at me unwaveringly.

I was tempted to tell the overbearing millionaire to go to hell. I was here for a tour of his new creation, not twenty questions about the Kawatche caves, after all, but instead I decided to play him. "Why don't we talk about what you know?" I circled around him like he was my prey. "Just what is it you hope to find out about those caves? And why have you been giving Lana your undivided attention recently?"

Lex took the questions with ease. He didn't even blink, let alone show any emotion. He didn't answer me either, but shot another question my way. "Aren't you afraid of Clark, given what you know?"

_He's bluffing. Trying to get me to open up because I think he has more information than he does. _"I'd trust Clark with my life…"

I had intended to say more, but our conversation was cut unceremoniously short by the first blast. There were three in total, each one making the floor beneath our feet rock as if Smallville had been hit by a quake over 6.9 on the Richter scale.

I stumbled forward, involuntarily grabbing Lex to save me from falling face first into the concrete floor. When the quakes finally ceased I dared to look around, only to see plumes of emerald smoke and light debris fluttering through the air.

At first it didn't hit me what had happened, and I stood there gaping. Even Lex didn't speak. Then, as reality hit home, I knew that somehow Lex's super-lab had exploded. Not like before when he had been split in two, but much worse. I could see nothing left of the building structure on that side of the plant. No walls, no corridors, nothing.

"Oh my God…" I gaped and shook at the same time, but even then I didn't fully realize what the blasts had meant. Not until my favorite farmboy didn't come running through the rubble to play hero as he always did. Then it hit me. Clark was allergic to meteor rocks. The only thing that could harm him had just exploded right as he was taking a tour through the complex. If there was nothing left of the buildings, what did that mean for Clark? I almost fainted at the thought, and Lex had to catch me. "Clark was in there…"

"Chloe?" I shook myself from my morbid reverie as Lois gently prodded me back to reality. "Chloe, we have to leave now."

I nodded, noting that my little daydream had lasted long enough for us to be the only people left in the cemetery. "I'm coming," I whispered. "It just doesn't seem right to leave Clark this way…"

Lois put her arm around me then, and we walked to the gates together, passing another recent grave as we headed to my car. I stole a glance at it and felt my body tense. It was Rich Mitchell's headstone. The man I had once loathed, I now felt pity for. Mitchell had died in the explosions along with Clark and three other Luthorcorp workers. Out of the group he was the only one that had no family, no one to mourn him. _Why?_ My heart screamed for justice, and soon I would have it, but with justice came a price and a revelation not even I was prepared for…

_Tbc..._


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't sleep well the night after Clark's funeral, despite how drained the day's events had made me. Instead, I lay on my back, snoozing fitfully and dreaming of things I would rather not see.

One minute I was at Luthorcorp, reliving the hellish day of the explosion, the next, I was back in the cemetery, but it was different somehow. The sky was dark, and the earth seemed black and foreboding. Rain poured down from the heavens, making the recently dug soil turn to mud.

I walked to Clark's tombstone and fell to my knees in the wet earth, tears streaming down my face and mixing with the torrents pouring from the raven-black sky.

The scene switched again in my nightmare, and I was in some unending black place. It was like having my eyes closed and feeling smothered by the darkness. I gasped for air, but all I inhaled was the stale oxygen free atmosphere that I suddenly realized meant I was inside a casket- Clark's casket. Somehow, I was sensing his thoughts, his terror and my mind could take no more.

I shot upright in my bed and gasped in lungfulls of air as I awoke feeling totally numb. The sensation of being buried alive wouldn't leave me, and I considered going down to the kitchen to get a glass of milk.

It was then that I saw the photo frame beside my bed. It had been placed face down on my dresser as if to hide the picture it portrayed. _I didn't do that, so how did it happen?_ I picked up the frame, caressing it as I turned it over to reveal an image of Clark and myself at our graduation ceremony. He had that goofy grin, and to be honest he looked pretty un-cool in his gown, but I still adored the shot. We had shared the moment together, and it was something I would never forget.

I smiled and stood the silver frame back up so that Clark's face was watching over me, and then I lay back down on my pillow, praying for sleep. At first, I tossed restlessly on top of my duvet, but after an hour I must have dozed once again.

As soon as I returned to my slumber the images and sounds came back to haunt me. I was back in the dark place, but now there was more. Something so frightening in fact, that even in my reverie my body stiffened in trepidation.

Clark was calling to me, pleading with me, and I was powerless to help his trapped and tormented soul.

"_Chloe…so dark …so dark. Please don't leave me here…" _

For a brief moment it was if I felt his hand touch me, and then I was awake again, panting as I tried to regain my breath. I shuddered, and then it hit me. The photo frame was back in the face-down position on my dresser. _Did I do that subconsciously?_ I shook my head. _No, I didn't._

Tentatively, I reached out to once again set the frame back upright, but as my fingers touched the metal I felt it jerk from my hand and tumble to the carpeted floor.

"Whoa!" I jumped from the bed, and as the glass in the frame shattered as it hit, I ran for the door, totally spooked by my experience. As I reached the top of the stairs, I calmed somewhat and considered my options. I could fetch dad, or Lois who was sleeping on the couch, or I could return to my bedroom and pick up the frame.

In the end I chose the latter. Where my nerve came from I'll never know, but somehow I pushed myself forward and picked the photograph from it's now tattered frame. Clark still smiled up at me from it with his boyish charm, and my hands shook as I looked at him. _Did I just have one freaky nightmare, or is there more?_

Being the queen of weird, I considered the facts and found I didn't like what had just happened in the Sullivan household. _Clark wouldn't haunt me!_ _But why did I feel like I was in a coffin and hear his voice? And then there was the frame moving on its own…_

I inhaled deeply, trying to calm my nerves, and then headed back down to the kitchen with the photo still in my hand. I'd only gotten halfway towards the refrigerator when Lois' sleep-filled voice greeted me.

"Chloe? What are you doing up?" I saw a pair of pink bunny slippers appear, shortly followed by Lois tugging herself up from where she lay. "Stupid question, I guess." She answered herself, and then shot me a curious expression as she noted the picture in my hand. "You have to stop punishing yourself, Chloe!"

Could I tell her what just happened, or would she think I was going nuts? I decided to give it a try. "I just had a nightmare…well several, actually. Except I don't think they were nightmares exactly…"

Lois' brow furrowed and she walked across the room and put an arm around me. "Things like this are bound to happen. You have to give it time. It's just your mind playing tricks on you. What else could it be?"

I grabbed a glass of milk and quickly offered Lois the picture. "I had this by my bedside. It was my favourite picture of Clark and me together. Tonight I swear it moved on its own, and eventually pulled free of my grip to smash out of its frame on the floor. I dreamed of being trapped inside a casket too. Well, at least that's what it felt like."

Lois looked at me sympathetically and pulled out a chair. She forced me to sit on it, and I was sure I was going to get a 'Lane talking to' the general himself would be proud of. I wasn't wrong. "Chloe, Clark's dead, accept it or you'll find yourself in Belle Reve instead of Lionel Luthor!"

"Lionel's out," I corrected. "He was released last week. And I'm not going insane! It happened! What's more I have a theory and I need your help…"

"Oh?" Lois couldn't help but look intrigued. "Is it anything I'm likely to get arrested for?"

I nodded apologetically.

"Okay, I'm in, just tell me this theory isn't wall of weird?"

"Worse," I admitted. "Lois, I want to dig up Clark's casket." I saw her eyes go wide and I quickly explained my idea. "What if Clark's not dead? What if they somehow buried him alive and he's crying out to me somehow for help? Lois, that was no dream I just had, it was more…more intense…"

My cousin scoffed and shook her head in disbelief. "Chloe, Clark is DEAD! I refuse to turn ghoul and desecrate his grave that way. What would your dad say? Heck, what about the Kents? Could you put them through that?"

My eyes began to water, but still I couldn't shake the feeling that I was somehow right. _What if he's down there right now, running out of air, just like in my nightmare?_ "You dug my grave up. You didn't care then." It was a cruel card to play, but I knew Lois would have no satisfactory answer.

"I was convinced you were alive!"

"Without any real evidence save your own intuition, just like me now!" I said, triumphantly. "So, are you with me or not?" I began to jog back to my room to get changed.

Lois rolled her eyes but had already begun tugging off the pink bunnies. "I'm with you, Chloe. I just hope you know what you're letting yourself in for. The chances of finding anything…"

She didn't have to say it. I knew she meant the chances of finding anything but a corpse were pretty thin. Still, I had to follow my own heart. I knew I was probably wrong, and was about to get into more trouble than I could handle with Sheriff Adams, but if there was just a chance in a billion I could save Clark as he had me so many times, then I had to take it.

Lois and I sneaked out of the house at around 2am and pushed my car down the drive to avoid any noise. My dad would definitely not have approved of my clandestine activities, and I didn't want to wait till daylight anyway. If I waited, I knew I would lose the nerve to go through with the task. Could I face to look upon Clark's mangled body should I be wrong? I shuddered and hopped into my VW once we were safe enough away from the house.

Lois remained silent as I cranked the engine, and I could see she was less than happy with what we were about to do. I ignored her frown and looked in my mirror. There was nothing behind us, and yet I couldn't shake the sensation of being watched. I glanced at the empty sidewalks, searching for the watcher, but all I got was Goosebumps and a tingling down my spine that screamed I was being stalked. I kept my thoughts to myself. Lois didn't need to hear more rambling and think I was going psycho.

"If Clark is…" Lois didn't finish. "Well, you know. Please tell me this is the last of it? You have to let him rest."

I nodded, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the wheel too tightly because of my frayed nerves. "Something's not right, though, Lois. I know it." I pulled up outside the cemetery and climbed out of my car. Again, I sensed eyes upon me, and I spun around feeling a cold chill grip my body. _Get a grip, it's not a ghost. Clark wouldn't do that. He'd never want to frighten me! _

I saw Lois watching my erratic behaviour and realized she hadn't felt the same sensations that I had. I shrugged it off and grabbed a flashlight and shovel from my trunk. "Ready?"

Lois took a breath and let it out again, making a thin vapour trail in the cold atmosphere of the graveyard. "No," she admitted, and then grabbed the shovel from me. "But I think we should get this over with."

We walked to the tombstone then, and I was reminded of my dream. There was no rain, no mud, but still the ever present gnawing in my mind like a voice yearning for my attention.

When we reached the headstone I paused and said a small prayer. I'm not the most religious person in Smallville, but tonight I felt it was somehow apt. Then, it was time for the digging. Lois took first turn, and as the shovel bit deep into the loose soil I felt my heart skip a beat. Was I simply in denial so bad I had to see the body to truly believe it, or had I really felt the picture frame jar from my hand?

After what seemed like hours of digging, finally a metallic clang signalled that we had reached Clark's last resting place. This was the moment of truth, but was I ready for what I was about to face?

_Tbc..._


	3. Chapter 3

I'm on vacation from tomorrow, so there won't be an update for a few days, folks. Sorry for the delay!

I watched as Lois brushed away loose earth from the top of the white casket and felt my heart rate double. It wasn't easy to try and push away the images we might see next, but I tried. Whatever lay within the coffin had once been my dearest friend.

I took one last deep breath and nodded to Lois to help me break open the casket with the help of the shovel. It took longer than I expected, but once I knew the lid was free to open, I stood back slightly in the hole we had dug.

"This is it…" My words seemed to echo throughout the graveyard, and I suddenly felt more alone than I ever had, even though Lois was at my side.

I grabbed the edges of the lid and closed my eyes as I tugged the full weight of it back. The hinges creaked like something from a horror movie, but still I forced myself to look what lay within.

I gasped and put my hand to my mouth at exactly the same time as Lois. Not only was Clark not dead- the casket was empty. I stumbled backwards until my back hit the earthy walls and Lois had to steady me. She too was beyond shocked. The best I had hoped for was to find Clark somehow buried alive because his gifts had saved him, but this was something else.

"Okay…" Lois looked freaked. "You really have my attention now. THIS, I was not expecting!" She edged forward and peered inside the coffin to convince herself, then glanced back to me. "Two fake deaths among friends is definitely pushing reality here…"

I nodded, but had no explanation. All my mind kept screaming was, _not dead! Not dead! _But that still left the question of what on earth was going on? I had witnessed the explosions. Could Clark really have lived through them? _And what about his powers? He's too strong for anyone to be keeping against his will, so where the heck is he? _

I turned to Lois. "We should go tell the Kents!" Before she could answer I began scrambling from the hole we had made until I was covered in dirt.

"Maybe there is an explanation, Chloe. We should tread carefully until we know. What if you upset the Kents and Clark really is dead?"

I wouldn't hear of it. "Mrs. Kent would want to know! I have to find him somehow…" My mind was racing like a NASCAR winner and I was coming up with an abundance of wild and totally over the top scenarios that even Mulder and Scully would have scoffed at.

Still, Lois knew it was no good trying to dissuade me, and instead she clambered from the re-dug grave as fast as I did.

We reached my VW in double quick time and my tires squealed as I left the cemetery far behind in favor of the Kent farm.

Speeding down Hickory Lane as fast as my Bug would travel, I never once considered the time of night, or the people I was about to intrude upon. I had known Jonathan and Martha Kent almost as long as I'd lived in Smallville, and I was sure they'd be receptive to the news I had to bear.

"There are no lights on, Chloe. Maybe we should come back in the morning?" Lois held on to the dashboard as I hit the brakes a little too fast and the car skidded to a halt on the coarse gravel outside the farmhouse.

I scowled. "Would you want to wait until morning to be told your son isn't dead after all?" At Lois' unsure expression I climbed out and grabbed my slightly soiled purse. It had gotten covered in mud at the cemetery, but I didn't care.

Once up the steps and onto the porch, I began rapping hard with my knuckles on the screen door until a light finally illuminated in the kitchen. Seconds later, Jonathan Kent appeared looking dishevelled and extremely tired.

The farmer cocked a brow when he saw me, and he rubbed a hand over his stubbled chin. "Chloe?" he finally asked.

I couldn't hide my excitement. "Mr. Kent, Clark's alive!" I barrelled inside and Lois followed me looking pretty uneasy. Clark's dad closed the door and I'm sure from the look on his face he thought I'd gone nuts.

"Chloe, Clark's dead. You were there yourself!" Jonathan took a seat and I guessed things were getting too much for him. _I have to calm down. I shouldn't work Mr. Kent up this way because of his heart. _

"I don't know how to tell you this," I offered, "But Lois and I just dug up Clark's casket and it was empty!" It was strange, but the farmer didn't show any reaction to my words. "He has to be alive!" I concluded.

Jonathan ran a hand through his hair and I thought for a moment he was going to get up and call down Martha. Instead, he looked at me with weary, bloodshot eyes, and a sadness came over his face I will never forget. "Chloe, Clark is dead. There were just no remains left to bury. The explosions were so intense…something to do with the concentration of meteor rocks Luthor was using…" His voice quivered. "The young man who was with Clark, I think his name was Mitchell?"

I nodded, thinking of the second grave I had seen.

"There is no body in his casket either. There was just nothing left…" Tears formed in Jonathan's eyes, and I felt my own euphoria sink faster than the Titanic. "Please don't tell Martha about this. I know you meant well, but I don't think she could stand to hear…"

Suddenly I felt stupid, selfish even, and I couldn't face the distraught father any longer. I turned and ran from the house in shame at the hurt I had just caused. Behind me, I could hear Lois trying to apologize for my behavior.

_How could I have been so stupid?_ Just because my coffin and funeral were fakes I had thought I could find a way to bring Clark back. I had been kidding myself and had caused untold upset with my actions.

Tears streamed down my face and I could feel my cheeks reddening. I ran blindly to the only place I could find solace. I ran to Clark's loft, a refuge he had once loved and would now give me sanctuary in my grief.

My hasty footsteps reverberated on the wooden steps as I climbed up to the loft, and I had the urge to pause and listen. There was no sound, and yet I sensed I was not alone in the barn. _Are you sure Clark isn't a ghost?_ My mind screamed.

I swallowed hard and continued on my journey to where Clark spent most of his nights gazing at the stars. The loft itself appeared just as my favourite farmboy had left it. Books scattered his desk as if he could come back to finish the task he had been working on.

A plaid shirt lay strewn across the couch where he had obviously tossed it in haste. I smiled, recalling how untidy he could sometimes be.

A gentle but cool breeze blew across my back from the over-large shutter and I turned to walk over and close it- except the shutter wasn't even open. As I searched for the source of the draft, it became even colder in the room until my fingertips felt like ice. I began to shake a little, but not just from the temperature, but from my own fears. I had desecrated his grave. Was Clark angry with me?

"Clark?" I spoke to nothing, wondering what I would actually do if I received some kind of answer. "Clark, if that's somehow you, make yourself known…" I trembled and waited for any sound.

Nothing. The loft simply got colder and colder until I thought perhaps Sean Kelvin was back. _I'm not imagining this!_ I looked around and my gaze stopped dead at Clark's desk. The books on it were flipping pages as if some invisible person was standing over them, searching for something specific.

I stared for the longest time, my heart racing at the idea that Clark's spirit might actually be right before me. Then, the flicking pages came to rest and the room began to warm up. My feet felt like they had diving weights attached and I was walking below the ocean. I was so scared to move, but I somehow forced my muscles to work.

How long it took to walk over to the desk I don't know, but when I arrived I was surprised to see the top book was in fact an Atlas. Curiosity overcoming fear, I leaned over, scanning the open pages for a reason for what I had just witnessed. _Does Clark want me to see something here? _

I ran a finger over the maps that had been singled out. They were of Colorado, not Kansas. "Weird," I voiced out loud. "What's so special about Colorado?"

As if in answer a tumbler filled with pens, pencils and various other desk items tumbled over on to the page. I jumped back, startled, and then shakily started to put the items back when I realized a marker's top had come loose. Somehow, ink from the blue pen had leaked on the page- or was it more than an innocent leak? "Clark?"

It was strange, but suddenly the idea that he was in the room with me gave me strength instead of fear. I looked back where the blue ink spot had stained the map and then quickly grabbed a notebook and pencil, jotting down anything that might be important. What I was looking at was a mystery, but then mysteries were something I had always been good at solving.

Two minutes later, I heard footsteps approaching and wondered if Jonathan had come out to personally scold me for my earlier behavior. _Now what do I tell him? Sorry, Mr. Kent, but your son is haunting me for unknown reasons? _

As it happened I was safe. The newcomer was Lois. "I've finally convinced Clark's dad that you're not certifiable, but it was a close call. I told you there would be an explanation for the empty coffin…" She raised a brow and then realized I had been making notes about something. "Now what?"

"I know this sounds nuts, but while you were in the house with Mr. Kent something happened out here…" I gathered my thoughts before continuing, "The room went so cold, and the pages in that Atlas started flipping all on their own. They stopped on Colorado and then this…" Instead of telling Lois, I showed her the distinct mark on the map. It almost formed a circle around one small area.

Lois didn't know what to make of it. "Coincidence, Chloe. It has to be! I don't believe in ghosts!"

I raised a brow. "Yeah, right, and you don't believe in witches either, but it didn't stop…"

"Okay," Lois cut me off. "I get the picture, but even if this is some spooky message from beyond, what the heck does it mean? We should take our next vacation in the Rockies?"

I bit my lip and looked at the place name I had jotted down. Platoro. It meant nothing to me, but I was a reporter after all, so discovering just what was there shouldn't be too difficult. _Could Clark's gifts still be manifesting themselves and allowing him to communicate from the grave? If so, why would he send me there?_

I stuffed the notebook in my purse and shot Lois a determined look. "I'm going to check this place out, in person if I have to. Coming?" I knew my cousin wouldn't let me down. She'd had a quirky relationship with the Kents, but deep down I suspected she hadn't hated Clark half as much as she'd professed. Besides, she loved getting in on the action.

"I'll come," she gestured as if I were insane. "But just to keep you out of trouble!"

We had no idea then, but trouble would soon find us.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for being patient, folks! **

It didn't take me long to hop back into my Bug and head home to use my laptop. Lois and I tiptoed back into the house in the early hours, and thankfully, Dad had never noticed our absence. He'd always been a heavy sleeper, and luckily that had worked to our advantage.

"Should I make us a coffee while you boot up?" Lois asked, heading for the kitchen before I even answered.

I nodded, tossing my purse down and tugging out my laptop from its case. "Make it strong. I don't think we'll be getting to sleep anytime soon."

My cousin shot me smirk that said she had expected as much, and nodded her approval as I quickly got online. Searching for Platoro wasn't going to be difficult, but finding the reasons why we were being directed there might prove more of a daunting task.

I clicked away endlessly on the keys, forcing every detail I could from some of the best search engines on the web. Platoro was pretty much a typical tourist spot in Colorado. It had old world ghost towns, country lodges, not to mention an abundance of untamed wilderness to discover. People from all over the world visited to go horseback riding and try out panning for gold just like the early pioneers had.

"Find anything?" Lois queried as she settled a mug of black coffee down next to me.

"Nothing that isn't right out of a tourist brochure," I pursed my lips and mouthed, "why are you sending us here, Clark?"

Lois raised a brow. "Are you still sure you even got a message from beyond the grave? I mean it could just have been a gust of wind in the barn."

I shook my head. "Lois, don't ask me how, but I know there is something in Platoro. Maybe something to do with Clark's death." I clicked away again at the keys, this time hunting for anything related to Luthorcorp or research. There was nothing. In the end, I shut down my laptop's screen in defeat. "The internet isn't going to help. I think I need to go to Platoro."

Lois had obviously been expecting my statement. "We better leave before Gabe wakes. If he's anything like the General you won't get out of the house without a twenty-four hour interrogation otherwise."

I wasn't about to argue. We both jogged upstairs and quickly packed a few clothes. Then, I grabbed all the cash I had at hand and my ATM card. There was no time to visit Platoro by car, so we'd need to take a short flight.

"You better write your Dad a note," Lois suggested. "Although, what you can tell him I don't know…"

I didn't either. Somehow, the truth just didn't seem fitting. I scribbled a few words anyway, hoping that when I returned I would at least have answers.

The flight into Colorado didn't really take long, and thankfully Lois and I managed to put together enough cash to hire a car. The rental company was a local one, so the price was at least bearable compared to the big city boys. The car itself was older than most rental models, but it was a 4x4 that may well be needed in the region we were investigating.

Lois eyed the Blazer warily as we approached it in the lot. "This thing is not my idea of a regular rental," she complained.

"It's good enough, the way you drive," I quipped back. "Let's face it, you've had more accidents than I've had wall of weird cases!"

My cousin didn't seem amused by my wit, but she climbed in anyway and I headed towards our hotel. In truth, I still had no idea what I expected to find without any clues, _Maybe Clark will point me in the right direction?_ I didn't voice my thought. I didn't think Lois would appreciate it.

The place we were staying was small, but practical, and as I pulled into the lodge's lot I noted just how close to the wilderness we really were. In my mind, I began to really wonder if Lois wasn't right about me imagining things. What could really be out here that was connected to Clark's death?

I pushed the idea to the back of my subconscious and climbed out after killing the engine. Lois followed and we headed for the check in desk.

Inside, the lodge was just as I had expected. There was a strange, wooden smell about the place as if the timbers had only recently been cut, and yet it had been built over eighty years ago. At the counter, an aged man with greying hair awaited us. He didn't smile as we approached, and somehow I suspected he didn't have a smile in him. From Lois' expression I could tell she was having the same thought.

"Hi," I offered as we reached the oak desk. "We have a room booked for the night."

He checked the reservations list as if the lodge was bristling with visitors. In fact, I had yet to see another human in the building. "Lane?" He eventually asked.

Lois nodded and offered up her credit card to pay. The man, who seemed to get grumpier by the minute, shook his head.

"Cash only," he griped. "We're getting far too many strange folks check in around these parts just recently. Folks that stay a night and vanish without paying their bills…"

At his statement, my reporter's nose engaged like a hound that had picked up the scent of its quarry. After all, you never say the word strange to me without repercussions. I slid enough cash for our room, plus an extra twenty onto the counter. "What kind of strange people?" I gave the old man my best persuasive voice.

He rubbed his stubbled chin and eyed me suspiciously. Then, he grabbed the cash almost as fast as Clark used to run and looked around as if the room was bugged. Eventually, he leaned forward and whispered. "Young fella came around a few weeks back. Said he was a reporter from some big city paper and asked a lotta questions…"

"And?" Lois pushed.

"And it costs to get dangerous information." The old man winked, and I was tempted to tell him no more cash. The problem was he had already suckered me in.

"Dangerous?" Lois and I asked simultaneously.

He tapped his weathered fingers on the table until I offered up more notes. Then, with another quick look around he continued. "The fella wanted to know if there were ever any research facilities or industrial units in these parts. He seemed mighty particular about what he wanted to know." The old man shrugged. "I thought he was crazy at the time. I mean, who builds anything like that this close to the wilderness?"

"I'm sensing a 'but' here?" Lois was almost as intrigued as me by now.

"You're right," our narrator wagged his finger. "The young fella asked around a few more lodges and started tongues wagging. The next day he never checked out, and he never came back to pay his bill."

I sighed. "What makes you think he wasn't just a bad payer?"

A sly grin appeared on the old man's face. "Sheriff found his car all the way at the bottom of Pine Gorge a week later. Young fella was inside. The cops put it down to bad driving, but some of us locals know better. There's things happening in Platoro this last year that God and Mother Nature would never approve of…"

"And I suppose it costs more to know what?" I was running out of cash, but there was no way I could stop now. If there was a facility up here, then I needed to know. I planted more cash on the desk, but kept my hand over it until I was sure I was going to hear something worth my dollars.

"Animals," the old guy snorted. "Locals have been finding dead animals as if there were some kind of plague."

"Maybe there is some kind of infection?" Lois guessed, and was quickly shot down.

"Nope," his eyes narrowed. "Fact is, some of these critters are deformed, like something out of a darn space mutant movie!"

My heart began to pound. Was Clark trying to tell me Lex was continuing his meteor rock experiments in another state after the explosion? It made sense when I thought about it. What better way to hide your transgressions after an explosion than to move to a totally different state and use a hidden facility. _Clark doesn't want more innocent people to die like he did! _

"So, you're suggesting there is some kind of lab around here?" I probed.

The old man shook his head. "I ain't suggesting anything, little missy. I'm just warning you gals not to go asking too many questions around these parts if you want to keep away from the bottom of Pine Gorge…" Without saying more he tossed a set of keys on the counter. "I'd keep your door locked too, if I was you…" He ambled off, leaving Lois and I gaping at one another.

"Weird old creep!" Lois scowled, and then picked up the bag she had brought in with her. "I think he needs a one way ticket to Belle Reve."

I warily looked back to the lodge entrance. "Lois, I believe him. I think we've involved ourselves in something way bigger than we imagined. The question is, what now?"

Lois pointed towards the stairs. "We unpack, then we can worry about the mysteries of Platoro."

I nodded. First, I'd take a shower. Then, I had every intention of discovering if Lex had yet another dark secret that had already cost Clark, and the unknown reporter their lives.

An hour after our meeting with the gossiping lodge owner, Lois and I were back in the Chevy and heading back to the nearest signs of life. The local roads were pretty much just tracks in places except for the main section straight into Platoro itself, and I was trying to drive carefully after hearing the last reporter in town's fate. Lois was less than impressed with my speed.

"Sheesh, Chloe! If you drive any slower we'll stop." She threw me a glance and then powered down her window to take a look at the rocky terrain below us. Pine trees jutted out from craggy outcrops and a small stream eddied straight down onto slate grey boulders below.

If I had been here for the view, I would certainly have been impressed. As it was, all I kept imagining was how squished I'd be if our Blazer tumbled down the picturesque incline. I tried to think of our case instead of our current, lonely position on the road.

"Do you think Lex is behind the deformed wildlife here?" I took my eyes from the road and looked at my cousin with a serious expression. "What if he's got some weird continuation of level three going on?"

Lois bit her lip. "If Clark really did try and contact you, and the lodge owner isn't stir crazy from being alone up there, then maybe…" She glanced back over her shoulder, but didn't elaborate why. Then, she continued, "I haven't known Lex as long as you guys, but I don't trust the guy. Hell, I don't trust anyone with that much money."

I nodded. If Lois knew what Lex had done the day of the second meteor shower, then she'd really be accusing him. I thought about the way he had dragged me in the caves and how he had spoken of Clark. My mind began to scream again, _you killed Clark. You killed him, Lex! _

Lois poked me, waking me from my mental scathing of Luthor. "Chloe, hit the gas!"

I balked, about to tell her no way, but then I checked my rear view mirror. A brand new, unmarked van was following us. It was painted raven black, making me feel like I was being tailed by some secret government organization.

"I thought I saw something awhile back," Lois admitted. "But they didn't show themselves until we hit that last turn. Now hit the gas, dammit, Chloe! I knew I should have driven."

I obeyed my cousin, even though I doubted our Blazer could outrun the newer vehicle. The engine roared as I poured on the revs, but still the black van continued to gain on us. "This crate won't go any faster!" I groaned as we hit a sharp curve and our tires skidded way too close to the edge of the road on the loose gravel. If I made one mistake now we'd plummet to the sharp rocks below.

Lois turned in her seat and then ducked instinctively. I wondered for a split second what she thought she was dodging, but the next second the side window shattered in a myriad of pieces and imploded into the Chevy's cab. Amazingly, neither of us screamed. Maybe I just didn't have one in me.

Another slug headed our way, and this time I heard the crack from the rifle as our pursuers pulled the trigger. I jerked the wheel, making the 4x4 sway across the road in an attempt to avoid the bullets.

The move didn't work and the second projectile slammed into the tailgate window. I looked to Lois, wondering where it had lodged. "Lois?"

Thankfully, my cousin was unharmed. She jerked her thumb to my laptop and I realized that it was, in fact, the latest casualty. _Great, Dad will kill me…if I live! _

"I guess Clark really did try and tell you something." Lois seemed amazed at the revelation. "The thing is, what happens if we end up dead too?" her face was white, and to be honest it scared me. It was a very rare occasion indeed that Lois was afraid of anything.

More bullets impacted with the Chevy, this time in a burst of rapid fire that almost made my ears pop. I wanted to close my eyes from what was happening, but it was impossible. Ahead, another sharp turn loomed, and I knew I would have to slow down or lose control. The move would almost certainly put us way too close to our hunters' weapons.

"We're going to die!" I screamed out loud, but in my head I thought of Clark, and how he had always been there. _Not this time, Chloe. Clark can't save you this time… _

Somehow, don't ask me how, the Blazer rounded the curve and remained on the road- even if we almost did it on two wheels. I saw Lois hanging onto her seat and gritting her teeth. Then, I dared to take a look behind us.

It was an almost surreal scene. One of the younger pine trees on the roadside had tumbled down on the van for no apparent reason, and had crushed the front hood and windscreen. I gawked and hit the brakes as one thought almost exploded in my mind. _It's just as if Clark pushed it over!_ I'd seen him perform similar feats in the past, but now, from the netherworld? I began to shake as Lois looked from the window, realizing what had occurred. Of course, she didn't connect the occurrence to Clark, but she was still freaked. The shock didn't last for long, though. Lois is an army brat that I hate to say it, has even more nerve than I do.

Lois jumped from the Chevy first, grabbing a tire iron from the trunk on her way back to the mystery van. I followed with a can of Mace from my purse and my cell phone to call for emergency assistance should we need it.

Steam hissed from the engine of the van as we approached, and a thin trickle of oil poured from somewhere beneath the front end. As we got closer, I noted the windscreen was totally obliterated. If the occupants had been crushed in a similar manner it wouldn't be a pretty sight. _Would Clark do that?_ For the first time a hint of doubt passed through my mind.

Lois poised herself with the iron and pulled open the driver's door first. There were two men inside. The passenger had obviously been the shooter, and he now hung limp in his safety belt with the automatic rifle he'd used at his feet. Blood smeared his forehead, but I could see he was breathing.

The driver had been more fortunate, and although his legs appeared to be pinned by the crumpled and torn dash, he was conscious.

"Bitch," he slurred as Lois wavered over him with her impromptu weapon. "They won't let you live. It doesn't matter whether I live or die. They can't afford to be compromised."

"They?" I asked. "Who are they? Why would anyone want to kill us?" I don't know why I bothered. I knew someone so highly trained and capable of murder wouldn't open up.

I was right. He laughed right back in my face and turned his head away from both us girls. I glanced at Lois as if to say 'now what?' and saw the wicked look that meant she was prepared to punish the guy- especially as he'd tried to kill us. I shook my head.

"I'll call the cops," I finally said, pulling my cell out. "Then we search the van before they get here for clues. These guys came from somewhere close. There might even be something to lead us back to the facility." I had no real clue if there even was a facility, but I figured if it sounded like we knew more then the driver might make a comment.

He did. "They'll shoot you before you get within a mile of the place, sweetheart."

I knew he was mocking me, but I didn't care as long as he spilled the beans. "Oh we have enough information to gain access without being detected. If you've done your homework on your targets you know Lois here has military connections…"

I waited for a response, hoping my bluff would work. I could tell from his gaze he was weighing me up, but it was Lois' performance that won us the game. She leaned close and grabbed the guy's hair like a real pro.

"What Chloe is saying, rather too politely is that we don't need you, or any information you might have. You do realize what that means?" She leered like a hit-woman and for a moment my own cousin scared me. "It means Luthor will think you can get your butt kicked by two girls. We won't need to hurt you. He'll make you vanish off the face of the earth for your negligence…"

The trapped man grimaced. He didn't speak, but he didn't have too. His expression confirmed the fact that there indeed was a secret facility, and that a Luthor he feared was behind it. Now, we needed to find the place and discover what was being worked on there. I might not have been able to save Clark, but I could put a stop to more senseless deaths.

"Lois, do you want to search our unconscious passenger while I call the local sheriff?"

My cousin jogged around to the other side of the van, ignoring more foul language and remarks from the driver, while I put a call into the police. It was pretty hard to explain to the dispatch officer what had been going on, and in the end I simplified the incident down to an apparent accident. They could figure out the rest when they arrived on the scene.

By the time I hung up, Lois had rifled through the shooter's pockets and come up with a 45, some spare clips, and something that looked like a security swipe card. It bore no markings or insignia, but I guessed that if we could find a lock at our mystery lab, then the card would open it.

"Bingo!" I exclaimed as Lois wafted the card in the air. "Now we just need directions, and I don't suppose we're likely to find a map in the glove box."

"What about in the back?" Lois jerked a thumb to the rear of the van and I nodded.

It was probably empty, but heck, we'd come this far, and sometimes clues showed up in the most unlikely of places.

"It's locked," Lois informed me as she tugged at the reinforced lock that had been placed on the rear doors. "I guess I can fix that, though." She pulled out the automatic she'd stuffed in her belt and let off a round at the catch.

The lock gave way with one kick from her boot and we were inside. The interior was totally separate from the driver's cab, and had obviously been specially prepared for something. The walls were padded with some kind of white material and there were runners inset in the floor that would have looked more at home in an ambulance.

"Looks like the fitting a gurney is meant to slide into," I commented as I scoured the back for more details.

Lois nodded. "Do you think Luthor could have moved up to human subjects?"

I suspected he'd done that way in the past, after all Earl Jenkins had vanished after the incident at the plant. "It's possible," I answered non-commitaly. "But without knowing where it's going to be hard to prove."

More verbal abuse came from the front cab as we chatted, and I wondered if the driver was getting edgy. If he was, that meant there might be something back in the van he thought was dangerous to see. I let my eyes play across the adapted van's features one more time, trying to think like Clark might with his 'super' vision.

The only thing I eventually spotted was some kind of plate on the left interior panel. I tapped at it, and was surprised to find it slid open to reveal some kind of medical supply cabinet_. So this was built to be some kind of lab-rat transporter! _

Lois joined me inside and whistled at the array of unknown drugs in the hidden panel. She picked up a small ampoule and rolled it over in her hand. "There's the name of the pharmaceutical company on here, along with where this stuff was delivered to!"

I quickly looked over her shoulder to see the address on the label. "White Summit Health Spa," I read out aloud. "I guess that's our next stop, then."

Lois agreed. "We better move it right now. I can hear the cops sirens…"

I listened. My cousin was right. "Lois, you can back out now if you want to. I can't ask you to go to this place knowing what we do."

"Are you kidding?" Lois checked the 45's clip and flicked the safety on to tuck it back into her belt. "No way am I chickening out now the party is just getting going. C'mon, let's move it. Our friendly driver back there might get a call out to his boss once he gets to the hospital. We don't have much time…"

I shuddered but hastily joined Lois back at the Chevy. This time, I really did let my cousin drive.

_Tbc..._


	5. Chapter 5

Finding the White Summit Health Spa proved more difficult than I had imagined. With the locals being such a tight-knit community, I would have expected them all to have heard of the place, and yet no one acknowledged that they had.

I asked first at a small fishing and hunting store situated just north of our lodge, but the owner scowled at me as if I had asked for the yellow brick road. Next, I tried calling the local rangers station, but they too were evasive. I was told in no uncertain terms that there was no such place, and never had been. I asked for similar facilities, but the ranger just laughed. Was I imagining it, or could some of these people be in Luthor's back pocket?

In the end, with time sorely running against us, Lois took a gamble. Pulling out detailed maps of the area we'd bought, she parked up the Blazer and began to scour them for any areas or buildings that might fit the part. I was dubious her plan had any chance, but it was all we had.

"It has to be something accessible by those adapted vans and not just by air," she spoke to me as she read. "But it also has to be so secluded that no one will wander near it. Especially tourists…"

I sighed and let my cousin work. Uncle Sam had taught her to read maps much better than I could, and I was thankful of her army up bringing more than ever. "See anything?" I couldn't help but ask as I looked at my watch impatiently.

Lois tapped three places that pretty much looked right out in the boonies to me. "There's some kind of structure marked here, but its not identified. The other two areas would be where I'd pick for some clandestine lab location. There are private dirt tracks leading to all three locations that don't look like they've been used in years. They're not even on some of the maps we bought…"

"So, which do we try first?" I was virtually shaking now. We could be so close to our goal, but also so close to death. We may have the access card to get in, but the driver's words rang out in my ears. _They must have people watching the place all the time, hidden security… _

Lois tapped the map again while restarting the Chevy. "We should try the first one. It's the most remote, and also the nearest to our location right now." She turned the 4x4 around in a one eighty and hit the gas. "We'll have to ditch the car when we get close. They'll have guards."

I swallowed hard. "Can we do this, Lois?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Can we break in and get evidence on what Luthor is up to?"

Lois shrugged. "We can try, but I have to admit I'd feel a whole lot more confident if I knew we were going to have help from our farmboy spook again…"

Finally, my cousin believed me. The question was, now that the chips were down, did I still believe my own theory? Was Clark really a ghost, guiding and helping us? If so, he hadn't made an appearance since the tree felling and it was beginning to creep me out…

The dirt track Lois had described was a pretty daunting site. It seemed to disappear into the countryside for miles, and had been quite clearly marked as a no go private area. We stopped the Chevy just in front of the metal gate and I peered over, checking for tire marks or evidence of recent activity.

The ground was hard, and there were no visible signs that vehicles had passed along the route in months, maybe longer. Of course, proof of traffic passing through would be easy to cover up. "Now what?" I asked, wondering if Lois would try and shoot out the gate lock again.

She didn't. "We need to hide the car and start walking. And I don't mean along the dirt track. They'll be expecting that. We need to move parallel to it in the trees and hope they're guys aren't trained better than my dad's."

"How far before we should expect company?" I reaffirmed my grip on my Mace can.

"Anytime," Lois answered honestly. "And I think they'll have orders to kill…" She didn't say more, but drove the Chevy into the tree line and began covering it with loose branches and shrubbery she'd torn up.

I helped, and the task took us all of twenty minutes. Then, the long walk began. I'd been in Smallville's woods before, but trust me, there really aren't that many areas in Kansas that have what you would call real woodland- not compared to Colorado.

The area we were hiking through was immense, and I was praying Lois really could navigate as well as she always boasted. Getting lost amongst the vast pines and wildlife was not a pleasant thought.

I trudged onward, matching Lois' every move like some rookie soldier shadowing his sergeant in a Vietnam movie. After an hour, my feet began to get sore due to my shoes, but I didn't complain. Blisters were the least of my worries.

We'd made about another half a mile when Lois pulled out the 45 and tugged me to the ground. She put a finger to her lips, warning for me not to talk, and then gestured ahead at a slight angle.

I squinted, trying to discern what my cousin was staring at, and then it hit me. I had thought I was looking at yet more wilderness, but in fact it was some cleverly disguised building that had been melted into the surrounding area like a cunning optical illusion. Unless you were searching for the place, there was no way a casual passer-by would spot it.

I stifled the urge to whistle at the ingenuity of the facility, and instead whispered to Lois, "So, I don't see any guards?"

Lois shook her head and pointed to what again I thought was a simple tree. The more I scrutinized it, the more I realized there was a camouflaged armed guard hiding in its branches. He looked like some Special Forces freak that wouldn't hesitate to shoot us. I gulped.

"We wait now and hope the place gets a visitor, or that Clark can somehow help. There could be more lookouts I haven't spotted so we can't risk anything." Lois remained poised with her stolen automatic, but we didn't move. I don't know how long we waited there, but I do know that day was fast becoming night.

The sun was setting through the massive pines, and a light and unwelcome mist was beginning to form over the ground. I was getting cold, too, but I persevered and wrapped my arms around my body. _Where are you Clark?_

Eventually, we heard a vehicle approaching on the dirt track to our left. I somehow imagined it would be the van driver from earlier come to hand out his revenge, but it was not. The vehicle was some kind of delivery truck, and amazingly it had Kansas plates. I wondered briefly if it had come from the Luthorcorp plant in Smallville, but I had no chance to get a closer look.

As the truck trundled to a stop at the end of the rough roadway, the hidden guard dropped from his position in the tree and approached the driver. Lois simultaneously tugged at my arm, virtually dragging me up to the rear of the truck in the driver's blind spot.

I sensed my blood pressure shoot up as we listened to the driver and guard go through some kind of security procedure. Passwords were given, and then the pair began a friendly exchange that suggested this was a regular occurrence.

I imagined the guard would walk around the truck before letting it pass, and then our presence would be detected, but he didn't. Either we were lucky, or he was getting lax in his duties_. There is a third option…they're letting us in and then they'll kill us after they find out what we know…_

I ignored the third option, and when the truck started moving Lois and I shadowed it up to a concealed gate. The driver slipped an arm from his window and pressed a swipe card up to what looked like a branch. The gate before us began to open and I thought we were in, but then Lois tugged me away from the truck and the gate.

"What the…" I gasped as she pulled me tight to the nearest tree and then pointed to an array of security cameras. The place had more defences than Fort Knox. "How do we get passed those," I mouthed.

Lois winked but didn't elaborate straight away. Instead, she ran from our position as the nearest automated camera changed its angle and moved through a predetermined cycle.

I watched as my cousin vanished into the darkness, and waited with baited breath, hoping that she wouldn't be caught. We were just two girls, after all.

Ten minutes passed, and I was starting to panic in the gloom of my hiding place when Lois finally reappeared. She was out of breath but no longer seemed concerned with the cameras.

Lois stood hand on hips in front of me, beckoning me out. "I did a little hotwiring," she winked. At my curious expression she elaborated further. "I used to date one of the tech guys in dad's unit. It came in pretty handy for him to knock out the bases security cameras some times, if you catch my drift…"

I rolled my eyes. "And you watched him rig the cameras before your lip-locking ceremony," I quipped.

Lois nodded, and headed for the swipe card reader. Once we got close she readied the 45, and I offered the card we'd stolen to the electronic lock. The gate clicked and then gave us entry, and yet I couldn't help feel apprehensive. This was all too easy.

Still, we'd come this far and there was little else to do but venture inside. We were lucky to have found the supplies entrance, though, and at this time of night there didn't appear to be anyone around save for an overall clad individual dealing with the van driver.

We edged into the corridor while the two men dealt with paperwork. Then, we used our swipe card to dodge into a nearby office to hide. As we dived inside, I noted the brass nameplate on the door. It read 'Dr Ernst Schenkel.' The name meant nothing, but the fact that he was some kind of doctor or scientist rang alarm bells in my head. _And why no more spooky happenings? _

I looked around in the shadows as Lois kept watch on the door. Schenkel's computer was still booted and that probably meant he hadn't gone far. _But it's also a great opportunity to read his notes…_

I dared to sit in the doctor's huge leather chair and risk looking through his files. Some were clearly encrypted at a level I couldn't hack, but there was one set that appeared to be more of a journal of Schenkel's thoughts and feelings. I decided to start with those in the tiny hope the man had a conscience enough to record his inner thoughts.

Lois glowered at me from the doorway, clearly startled by my sudden nerve, but she didn't complain.

My eyes darted from entry to entry on the screen, and I realized from the dates that the facility had been operational many months before the explosions that caused Clark's death. I skipped forward to the date of the infamous day at Luthorcorp, and my heart missed a beat at the scientist's haunting few words.

My research has changed beyond belief today, powered forward a thousand fold by one man's lust for knowledge. But at what cost? Can I justify the experiments I will now perform with the knowledge I may one day help mankind? Is any of this really about mankind? I pray God will forgive me for what I am about to do to further project 'Smallville.'

None of the other entries mentioned Schenkel's work, and I guessed he'd either grown to live with his transgressions, or gotten wise that it wasn't too sensible to write them down in an openly accessible journal.

Right now, I didn't care what the doctor was up to. I wanted proof of 'Project Smallville' and maybe access to its findings. I returned the computer to the screen I'd found it on and then scooted back over to Lois to explain what I'd read.

"So, somewhere in this place is a section for Schenkel's project, and we need to find it?" She didn't look too confident. "Chloe, I hate to tell you this, but my camera hotwiring is bound to get found out sooner rather than later."

"Two minutes, Lois. Just give me two minutes to try and find evidence Luthor is doing something illegal." I gently pushed the door as a spoke, checking out the corridor to see if we had a clear run into the next section.

Lois nodded and she took point. I watched as she held the 45 close to her body like a professional, and I only hoped she didn't need to use it.

We had no real clue how big the facility was, or indeed how much of it was taken up by Schenkel's work. Perhaps even all of the labs were devoted to his project. I licked my lips as we walked, warily eyeing cameras as we walked under them. Was some security guard watching us even now? I imagined some guy in a uniform laughing at us as he watched us on his screens. Forget it, Chloe. You have to focus.

We turned into another corridor and came face to face with a huge metal doorway. It appeared to be some kind of secured room with no windows. There was, however, another swipe card reader. Did our stolen pass go up to this level?

Lois readied her weapon and gestured for me to try the electronic lock.

My hands shook as I put the card in place, and I only exhaled when the red L.E.D.'s turned to green. Seconds later, the door slid back like something off a Sci Fi show to reveal a darkened room with an ominous emerald glow.

Lois saw my reaction and mouthed, "Meteor rocks?"

I nodded. It made sense. Luthor seemed to be obsessed with them, and hadn't his agricultural project even involved them? Yeah, right up until it exploded killing my best friend! "I have to go inside, Lois…"

My cousin acknowledged me with a reassuring nod and we both entered the secret room. I was amazed at how dark the area was, and was tempted to search out for some kind of light switch. That would surely alert someone to our presence, however, and I found myself wishing I'd had the forethought to bring a flashlight.

"Chloe…" Lois words trailed and I found myself spinning around at the tone of her voice. It was shaky; as if she'd seen something she'd rather not.

As my eyes hit what her had only moments earlier I felt my mouth gape open. We had at last found the secret of White Summit, and the object of Lex's experiments.

Lying before me on a bed was a figure covered with a white sheet. The room was so ill lit I had to squint to even see it was a body- a very dead body. Every nerve and sinew in my frame tensed. There had been no remains in Clark's casket, had I found them?

_TBC..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews everyone :) **

Lois sensed my thoughts and realized I dare not lift the sheet to check. Thankfully, my cousin completed my task for me. Using the barrel of her weapon, she teased up the sheet to see the face of the cadaver. Seeing her exhale deeply with relief I knew it wasn't my favorite farmboy. "It's not Clark, Chloe," she exclaimed helpfully.

I nodded and approached, needing now to see with my own eyes. What I saw was still shocking. "Lois, this is Rich Mitchell!" We had been told Mitchell's body had been destroyed along with Clark's in the explosions, and yet here it was. There was evidence of serious injuries, but they had obviously been tended to at some point. "If his body wasn't destroyed…" I wasn't thinking straight and Lois pointed out what I had so easily overlooked.

"Chloe, Mitchell didn't die at Luthorcorp even if he was hurt there. His body is still warm…"

Instantly, I realized the implications. We had focused on Mitchell's body being the only one in the room, but what if it wasn't? This time I didn't care about being discovered. I scurried to the nearest wall and began running my hands along it in search of any lights. The gloomy green aura in the room was making me nauseous anyway, but there was more I had to see.

Eventually, I found what I was looking for. A whole block of switches that I prayed would bring the room to life. I flicked them all, and with a pop of electricity the lab was bathed in light.

"Oh my God…" Lois was the first to speak. She at least could manage it. My voice had been lost the second the room had been illuminated.

There were more beds spaced equally throughout the area, totalling four, and in the nearest to Mitchell lay a prize even I was not worthy of.

Clark was motionless and pale, hooked up to equipment that could only mean he was being studied. There were dressings too, and for a second I wondered why his injuries from the explosions hadn't healed. Then, I remembered. The room had a green glow. Somewhere here there were meteor rocks, and they were not only inhibiting his healing, they were slowly killing him.

I raced to his side. "We have to get him out of here, NOW," I screamed and didn't care who heard me.

Lois wasn't convinced. She looked to the monitor that he was hooked to and then felt his pulse. "Chloe, I don't think we should move him. Besides, what about the others?" She gestured to the other three Luthorcorp employees from the explosions that now lay as lab rats. "We should get out of here and call the authorities. We need to get some medical help out here."

How could I tell her that for Clark every second in the room was more agony, more torment from the effects of the rocks? If I could just get him away then he would start to heal, to be the person I loved once again. I know it was selfish, but at that moment all I could think of was Clark. He was alive, and I intended keeping him that way.

"I'm not leaving him in here!" I began to shake Clark gently, calling his name. "Clark, Clark, you have to wake up. We can't carry you on our own…"

At first, he didn't respond, and I feared we had found him all-too late. I saw Lois' expression and knew she thought he was dying and that we should high tail it before we joined him on some nutty professor's lab table. To her credit, she didn't voice her thoughts and instead tried to help me rouse Clark.

It took another two minutes before his eyes blearily opened. From his expression, I could tell he thought I was some drug-induced hallucination, so I shook him again. "Clark, you got through to me! I saw the map. I don't know how you did it but I felt your presence!"

A pale version of his beaming smile appeared. "Wasn't me, Chloe…"

I raised a brow, but right now it wasn't my greatest concern. "We'll talk about that later. First, we need to get you out of here, and you have to help. Can you get up?" I tugged at his shirtless body, hauling him into a sitting position, and with Lois help we actually made it.

My cousin silently pulled off any wires to the monitors as Clark regained his breath. "You're bleeding, Smallville," she noted as a small red stain began to seep through a dressing on his side.

"The lab," Clark recalled. "The lab exploded. I don't remember much after until I woke up here." He looked around and I guessed he was searching for the source of his pain- the meteor rocks. There was no sign of actual rocks anywhere, but I knew from the hellish green hue the mineral was around somewhere.

"Come on, Clark, you can explain later once we're all safe." I took one of his arms and wrapped it around my shoulder. Lois took the other side, and together we bore the brunt of his weight.

Clark's feet dragged as we tugged at him, but I could tell he was giving it his all to help us. He panted breathlessly as we reached the door, and I saw his haunted eyes look back guiltily at the other three Luthorcorp people we were leaving behind.

"We'll come back for them, Clark," I promised.

Clark nodded and allowed us to keep pulling him forward. Once we exited the 'green room' I sighed with relief. It shouldn't be long now before Clark began to recover. At least, that was what I had thought, but as we moved through the complex nothing seemed to happen. Had their experiments on him taken his gifts? What had they done? Or was it an after effect of a meteor-powered explosion?

Back at the first corridor, Lois nodded that we should skip into Schenkel's office and take a break. We were all getting tired already, and once out in the wilderness we had a long way to go dragging our favorite farmboy. I agreed with my cousin and we scooted into the office without anyone noticing.

Luckily for us, Schenkel had returned in our absence, but left again hastily. On his desk sat a pile of manila folders that had not been there previously. They were marked 'Smallville.' Naturally, I wanted to examine them, but Clark was my first priority. He still looked sick, and the cuts and bruises from Luthorcorp still glared at me angrily.

Lois checked the door and then spoke first. "You okay, Smallville?" Her eyes showed real concern, and I was reminded that behind her hard exterior lay a real heart of gold. "You kind of freaked us with your messages from beyond the grave if you catch my drift?"

Clark caught his breath and struggled to answer. "It wasn't me. It was Rich…the explosion at Luthorcorp did something to the survivors. Made instant meteor freaks if that's what you want to call them…someone knew…someone took us…" His head lolled slightly with the effort and I could see it was draining him to speak so much. _Maybe there are more rocks concealed in this place making him sick?_

I wanted answers, for Clark's sake, and the folders on Schenkel's desk called to me invitingly. I quickly ran over and scooped them up. There would be no time to read now, but if we lived I would maybe have the evidence to nail Luthorcorp. "Ready to leave?" I asked hastily.

Clark nodded and I gave him a hand up once again. Lois steadied him too, but she was now once again also poised with the 45. Escaping was going to be the hardest part.

We made it to the last swipe card point before things began to go wrong. I don't really know if it was my theft of the files that alerted them, or someone finally discovering Lois' handiwork. Either way, alarms and klaxons began to blurt out in alarming abundance.

"Run!" Lois screamed as the armed guard from earlier dropped down in front of us and began to fire. She let off a shot back and I suddenly felt myself being propelled forward.

At first, I actually thought I'd been hit by a stray bullet, but then I felt Clark's arm around me as we lay on the ground, and I knew he'd pushed me down and saved both our lives.

There was more shouting and the sound of repeated gunfire. Through it all I heard Lois yell for us to get up and run again, and somehow we did. I looked back, wondering why the bullets had momentarily stopped heading our way. The guard was on the floor, moaning and definitely in no shape to follow.

"Kneecaps," Lois explained as she breathlessly jogged up beside me and helped me with Clark. "I doubt they'll all be that careless, though, so we better hurry!"

I saw Clark shoot Lois a glance that said 'are you kidding' but he continued to try and keep up. In the end, Lois could tell he'd had enough and she stopped running. "What are you doing?" I asked her worriedly.

"Clark is still bleeding. He can't run, and frankly it's pitch black and we're…"

Dread filled my heart. I didn't need for Lois to finish to get the direction she was going. (No pun intended) "We're lost, aren't we?" I groaned.

Lois sighed and threw her hands in the air. "Hey, have you ever tried navigating while kicking butt?"

I hadn't, so I let the matter drop. Lois calmed a little then and we both helped Clark rest up under the shelter of the trees. He didn't speak much, but then I could only imagine what he may have gone through at White Summit. I tried not to think about it, and instead my mind focused on one glorious thought. _Clark's alive, ALIVE!_

"There is an upside to being lost," Lois offered. "The bad guys will expect us to have headed back to the road and our car. And to be honest, I think we're more likely to be heading further into the wilderness…"

I shuddered at the word wilderness. It conjured up far too much imagery of bears and other dangerous creatures. "How long before they pick up our trail?"

Lois shrugged. "I figure we have enough time to let Clark rest up and make a few plans."

"You should leave me…" Clark eyed us both. "If they get me back it will give you a better head start."

"No way!" I would have slapped some sense into him, but he looked beat up enough already. "Don't you ever think that way, Clark Kent! I've mourned you once already and I refuse to do it again."

He shot me the puppy dog look. "I know, Chloe, but I don't want this to end in your funeral too…"

Lois slipped a new clip into the 45 and watched the exchange. Eventually, she joined in. "So, you said the spook fest we endured wasn't you?"

Clark shook his head. "After the explosion I woke up in that place," he gestured back towards the complex. "Rich and the others were there too. All of us had injuries but Rich's were the worst. Despite that, the explosion had altered some of us."

"You?" Lois queried.

"No," Clark answered. "But Rich could do things. Things with his mind…"

"He moved the stuff in your loft? He made me think it was you?" I was stunned.

"Not just you, Chloe. Rich tried to get through to my parents too. I think only Mom sensed anything, though." Clark looked upset at having put his mom through the anguish and I patted his arm. At my touch he carried on. "You see Rich has no family, no one to reach out to. When he was put in the next bed to me we formed a plan. I never thought it would work, or that you would come out here on your own, though." More remorse from my farmboy. "Then Rich got sick again this afternoon. I think they pushed him too far with his injuries…"

"He died saving the rest of you, Clark. Even if the explosion did something to him, he used the ability to do some good." I couldn't believe the person I had thought of as a bully had given his life so selflessly. Had I judged him so badly?

I looked down at the stolen folders still in my hand. They probably had even more details on what Schenkel had done to his subjects and why. _Did he discover Clark's secret?_

Lois joined me at Clark's side. "I'm going to do a little reconnaissance," she explained. "You two be careful. I won't be long."

As my cousin jogged off into the darkness I suddenly felt fear, even in Clark's presence. We were so alone, but it did give me the opportunity to ask him questions I couldn't with Lois around. It also meant me revealing things Clark wasn't aware of, but I had to know.

"Clark," I tried to sound neutral. "Why haven't you healed now that you're away from the rocks Schenkel was experimenting with?"

Clark glanced up in surprise, but then his face transformed into a wane smile. "All the little comments these past weeks…I should have known. I …I guess I did know subconsciously." He looked to the woodland floor, never asking what had finally tipped me off about his abilities. "I don't really know why I've not healed yet. It's my guess prolonged exposure to the Kryp…to the rocks has weakened me." He put his big farmboy arm around me then reassuringly. "I feel better since we left that place, though, Chloe. Thanks to you and Lois. Maybe in time my strength will return."

"I have these files," I wafted the folders in the air. "We'll need to read them before we turn them over to the authorities in case they mention your…your uniqueness."

"We have to save the others, Chloe. I won't leave them back there." Clark shot a glance back the way we had come and I knew he was serious. "Not even if it means giving up my secret…"

"We need to get out of these woods before we plan any rescues!" My voice rose just a little too much and I quickly realized my mistake even before Clark scowled at me. It was just so easy to forget we were being pursued when I was in his company. Finally, I asked the question I knew would be a touchy subject. "Clark, did you know who was behind your kidnapping? I mean, everything leads back to Luthorcorp."

He looked at me then with a sadness I had only seen once before in his eyes, and that had been at the graveside of Alicia Baker. "I never met anyone back there, not even Dr. Schenkel. They kept us secluded, alone, and with the meteor rocks around I wasn't exactly coherent."

"But you must suspect?" I pushed.

"I do, Chloe…and when we get back to Smallville I'll make sure Rich didn't die in vain." Those lovable blue-green eyes darted to the ground again then, and I wondered just what Clark had meant. As I watched though, he was so tired his head lolled back onto the nearest tree trunk and he dozed. I didn't break his sleep. There would be so little time for slumber later. Instead, I checked him over and examined the wounds Luthorcorp had so cruelly inflicted with their blasts. _Were the explosions accidents, or did Lex set them up to trap Clark? Maybe turning Rich and the others into freaks was just an added bonus?_

I don't profess to know much about medicine, but from what I saw I was satisfied Clark wasn't in any danger. In fact, I suspected his wondrous gift of healing was kicking in, just more slowly. _Good job! If he heals too quickly Lois will get suspicious!_

Lois returned about ten minutes later and shot Clark a glance of concern. He was still sleeping and she obviously thought it wasn't a good sign. "Bad news," she admitted to me. "I think we have company already."

_Tbc..._


	7. Chapter 7

"So soon?" I knew in my heart we couldn't evade them now. I was cold and exhausted and so were my two companions. "Any ideas?"

To my relief Lois nodded. "I found a cave. We might be able to shelter there until morning. Maybe even light a fire. Hopefully, farmboy will be feeling better by then." She didn't look convinced. "We have to hurry, though."

Reluctantly, I prodded Clark from his healing slumber and we trekked laboriously onward.

In the dark, the mouth of the cave appeared heavily concealed by branches and overhanging flora, and I wondered how Lois had ever discovered it at all. Still, that was a good sign our pursuers wouldn't find us, wasn't it?

I clambered over loose, slippery rocks that were covered in slime, trying to avoid making any noise that might draw attention to us. Then, at the fissure's entrance I turned to hold out my hand and steady Clark as he struggled to make the journey. Lois brought up the rear.

"How do we know there isn't a bear or something in here?" I asked shakily as Lois guided us deeper into the cavern.

"Maybe there is," Clark quipped, holding his side through gritted teeth. "But I doubt it would face you two…"

"Ha ha, Smallville. Nice to see your sarcasm is returning," Lois winked at Clark and then slid through a tight cleft to reveal a larger inner chamber. We followed into the gloom and I began to search for bats or any other nocturnal creatures that might freak me.

Lois had already gathered a few sticks and pieces of timber and brought them in on her first reconnaissance mission, and was now busily making a small fire to keep warm. Without the protection of the cave, any kind of fire would have been out of the question, but we had gotten lucky, I hoped.

I perched Clark down on a large boulder nearest to the now smouldering twigs and looked him over again. Some color had returned to his cheeks now, although he still appeared far too lethargic.

He noticed me scrutinizing him. "I just need to sleep, Chloe. Why don't you read through those files and get warm while I take a nap…"

I put an arm around him and waited until he began to doze, letting my head lean on his shoulder and feeling his presence. With the steady rise and fall of his chest I was tempted to sleep myself, but instead I decided it was high time to discover what Schenkel had been up to. Later, we may need the information as a bargaining chip for our lives, so I planned on knowing all the details.

Lois cocked her head as I opened the first file. "Time to find out what 'Project Smallville' was all about?" She asked as she put more kindling on the fluttering flames.

I nodded and began to read Schenkel's notes in my head.

**Day One **

_The subjects were brought to me late this afternoon in varying degrees of health. The explosions had caused more physical damage than I was initially informed of, and I fear that at least one of their number will eventually succumb to his wounds. It is a pity, as I suspect he would have been the most promising subject of the group. Already, he has exhibited some most interesting traits caused by the exposure to the green mineral within the meteor rocks. Traits, I might add that are most different to the physical mutations I have witnessed on my animal experiments._

_Subject one, as Mitchell will be called henceforth has amazing mental abilities to move and interact with both objects and other humans. This afternoon, as his wounds were being treated, he managed to tip over an instrument tray simply using his mind to try and help his fellow inmates initiate an escape._

_Subject two, Kent, appears to be the odd man out of the group. His exposure to the rocks seems to cause extreme pain, and as far as I can tell he is not manifesting any new abilities due to the Luthorcorp incident. I will bear him closer scrutiny tomorrow when I begin my first battery of tests._

**Day Two **

_All the subjects, bar number two now appear to be showing increased mental abilities as we boost the amount of meteor radiation bombarding their cell. Number two, however grows weaker from the dosage._

_This afternoon I received two's lab-work back and have made perhaps the most amazing discovery of 'Project Smallville.' I am as yet unsure whether or not to inform my superior of my findings for fear he thinks me insane. I have, however, made a record of my results and will continue to monitor the boy._

I stopped reading and glanced over to Clark. Schenkel knew how different he was, but had he since informed his boss, and was that boss Lex Luthor? I flicked through more pages, speed-reading for any further mention of Clark's secret or just who the scientist's boss might be. Unfortunately, there was nothing. As the project had continued, Schenkel had bordered on becoming obsessed with Rich Mitchell's gifts, and had pushed the dying man to his limits to see just what he could do.

In a way, Clark had been lucky that the meteor rocks had suppressed his own abilities, or he may have been the object of Schenkel's fixation. As is was, the teen's cellular make-up had fascinated the scientist, but not nearly as much as Mitchell's mental projections and psychokinesis- gifts that had brought Lois and I out here on our mystery hunt.

Clark moaned in his slumber and I huddled closer to him, wondering what he was dreaming about. Was he still tormented by being in the lab? I closed the folder and let it slip to the floor. There was too much in it about Clark to ever give it to the authorities.

"Interesting read?" Lois asked, nodding towards the file.

I shook my head. "Not really. There's nothing in it to implicate Lex. Mostly, it's about what Schenkel did to Rich Mitchell." I shivered, finding the cave just a little too cold for comfort, even with the fire. "Maybe we could use it for something to burn? I'm freezing and Clark feels like ice." I felt at his forehead for dramatic effect. He wasn't too cold, despite the fact that he had no shirt, but I wanted the record of his cell make-up burning as fast as I could. _Pity I don't know where Schenkel kept those other files he spoke of…_

Lois clambered over and tossed the folders onto the fire without further word. Then, she decided to check Clark out for herself. Typically, the farmboy let out a tiny snore as she neared him and Lois couldn't resist a grin.

"I think he's a little too cosy with you wrapped around him," she joked. "At least he's looking better than back at the lab. I really thought…"

I'd known what she'd thought. For a while I'd feared it too, but the ever-resilient farmboy was back with us now, and that was all I cared. "He'll be okay if we can get him home to Martha's cooking. If we get home at all…"

The dark cavern became silent. Lex, or whoever was responsible for White Summit wouldn't want us getting back to civilization to blab. I suddenly felt like I was acting out scenes from 'First Blood.' Here we were, trapped in the wilderness in a cave with no real means of survival, being hunted by Lord knew who- we probably couldn't even trust the local cops or rangers. _Yeah, well Rambo won. Right, Sullivan, but that was a stereotypical Hollywood movie._

Lois noticed I'd gone into a world of my own and decided I needed a prod. "Chloe, I hate to mention it, but we really need to take turns at lookout duty at the mouth of the cave. Smallville's not exactly in any shape, so that just leaves the two of us." She clicked on the automatic's safety latch and offered it to me. "Want me to go through the basics with you before I take first shift?"

I took the weapon and sensed its weight in my hand. I knew if Lois had offered it to Clark he would have refused. He hated guns and what they stood for, but could I afford to be so like-minded? A small grunt came from his lips as he shifted in his sleep, and I noticed his eyes darting too and fro under their lids. What atrocities was he dreaming of back at the lab?

"I'll handle it when the time comes," I told Lois. "Uncle Sam showed me a few tricks when I visited you, or had you forgotten," I reminded my cousin.

Lois sighed and took the gun back. "See you in a couple of hours. Don't you and Smallville get up to anything while I'm gone!" She winked and then disappeared back out into the bowels of the grotto at a sprint.

I don't know how long Lois had been gone. I think the warmth from the open fire along with Clark's body heat had lulled me into a false sense of security and I too had dozed.

When I awoke, it was to the unwelcome sound of gunfire. I jumped up, startled and was shocked to find Clark was no longer with me. Had the bad guys taken him? Where was my cousin? I panicked and wondered what move would be best to make.

Rubbing my bleary eyes, I headed towards the cave mouth, trying to keep my back to the cold cavern walls. It wasn't easy, but it gave me some camouflage in the shadows. I inched forward slowly through the narrow fissure and almost walked straight into a masked gunman.

Only one thing saved my life- Clark. He too was somehow using the darkness as cover, but when he saw me emerging into the path of the killer, he darted forward and blocked any chance of the man getting a good aim. I wouldn't have called his spurt exactly superspeed, but it was certainly more than a mere human could manage, and it took our pursuer by surprise.

The sight of a half-naked farmboy, whizzing in front of his eyes made the man blink in amazement, and the sheer act alone slowed his reflexes. He had no time to target me, and instead pulled back on his trigger instinctively, letting his first round barrel towards Clark.

I screamed then, and realized it was getting to be a habit I wasn't used to.

The spiralling bullet hit Clark square between the shoulders, and he went down hard, face first into the cave floor. All I could think of was that his strength wasn't back, and that I may have found him, only to lose him again. In my fear for him, I never considered the shooter now had a free shot at me.

"Clark!" I dived for the ground, my concern for the farmboy saving my life as a bullet zipped over my head, narrowly missing my right temple.

Clark didn't move and the masked man hovered over me as I crouched by his side. "Time to meet the whirlwind, Sister," he leered from beneath the ski hood.

I swallowed hard, feeling a lump in my throat that just wouldn't budge. This was the end, for both I and Clark.

The killer sensed my fear, and as I watched, mesmerized, I saw his finger inch back on the trigger to extinguish my life. I couldn't bear to see the projectile hurtle towards me, and closed my eyes.

Seconds later, I heard a yelp of surprise and opened them up again. Either Clark had been playing dead, or he had miraculously regained consciousness just in time to spin his body over and carefully whack the Berretta from the gunman's hand.

The man stumbled backwards, reaching for a knife at his belt to retaliate, but this time I was the angry one. I stormed forward like a girl-made tempest and slugged the fiend on the chin as he drew his weapon.

Still, the killer lashed out, and I felt the cool metal of the blade slice into my forearm. I felt the motion, but not the pain, so hot was my rage at that moment. This man had conspired to take and hurt Clark, he had trailed us, attacked us, and I was fighting back in true Sullivan style.

He lunged again, and had it not been for Clark I fear something more vital than my arm would have been cut into, perhaps even my throat. "No!" I shouted for Clark to back off, thinking he could be already seriously hurt, but he ignored me.

I watched in mortified horror as the two men slammed into one another and began to fight. I could hear Clark panting as he tried to subdue the man, but he was as relentless as I had been only seconds earlier.

The pair rolled on the cave floor, and I saw the flash of the knife blade again, heading straight for my man's heart. I didn't scream, but instead groped for the fallen Berretta and took aim. There was no time to think of the consequences, no time to wonder about taking a life. I closed both hands on the butt and squeezed hard, hoping my aim was good enough not to hit Clark a second time.

I didn't. The projectile hit the killer in his right shoulder and he spun away from Clark with the forward motion of the bullet. I watched him slump down; clasping the oozing injury, and guilt hit me. I was no better than them._ I shot someone!_

My regrets were short lived as I noted Clark stagger to get up. _He was shot!_ I let the gun fall from my quaking grasp and grabbed Clark, supporting him until I could find somewhere to prop him. "How bad?" I asked in a panicked voice.

Clark winced and flexed his shoulders. "I'll be sore if I have to sleep on these rocks…"

I frowned, wondering if he was delusional, and then hurriedly checked his back, running my hand over his soft flesh. There was no blood, and no wound, merely a dark patch where his skin had already begun to show bruising. "You're gifts?" I queried.

Clark nodded, still panting slightly. "I think they're on there way back, Chloe, which is all the more reason for me to retrace our steps back to White Summit…"

That was it. I hit him square in the shoulder with my best right jab. After all he'd been through. Heck, after all we'd been through how could he even consider returning? "Are you tripping on meteor rocks?" I inquired incredulously.

Clark turned away, scrutinizing the man curled in a ball on the floor. Eventually, he spoke, but not to me, but instead directly at the killer. "Why don't you tell her what you've done?"

The mouth beneath the mask spat out blood and then coughed. I didn't think he would talk, but then he stared at me with ice-cold, piercing blue eyes and winked. "We took your little friend Lois as insurance in case you two played hard to get. If you ever want to see her ass again, meteor boy here goes right back to the lab." He spat more blood. "Right where he belongs…"

Clark smiled strangely, never taking his eyes from the injured assassin. "Then I guess I better give them what they want…"

_TBC..._


	8. Chapter 8

"Clark!" I gaped at him. I just couldn't help myself. "What did they do to you back there? Fry your brain?" I noted the gunman watching our argument and decided to quickly pick up the weapon I had dropped moments earlier.

Clark ignored my move and grabbed my arm, guiding me to the mouth of the cave so that we had privacy. I slipped a little on empty bullet casings littering the floor, and he steadied me as I teetered. Then, he looked into my eyes with such conviction I stopped my muttering and finally listened to what he had to say.

"Chloe, I'm not going back to give myself up. I'm going back to save Lois and the others they still have from the explosion. If we wait, they'll be killed and the facility will be destroyed. Whoever is behind this won't leave evidence behind if we aren't captured." He stood before me, bare-chested, covered in dirt and dried blood, but I knew he had never been more serious.

"You're still hurt," I pointed out. "You might be healing, but not as fast as you should. I should come with you!"

He let his large, farmboy hand run down my cheek and caressed it softly. "You know I can't let you go back there. It's too much of a risk. I have some of my speed back to dodge bullets. You don't." He smiled wanly knowing I would protest. And when I did, his hand moved to my lips and he caringly pressed his finger down on them to silence me. "No, Chloe. I need you to stay here and try and call for help. That guy needs an ambulance."

"You want me to save his butt? After what he did?" I asked incredulously. At Clark's expression, I quietened down. I should have known he'd never willingly harm a living thing. I fumbled in my purse and wafted my cell phone in front of him. "See, I haven't been able to get a signal on this thing since we arrived here in the boonies. Mr. Bad Guy is all out of luck and so are we. Otherwise, I'd have tried to call for help before."

Clark sighed. "Well just stay with him until I can get back with Lois. I mean it, Chloe…" He waited, watching me for signs of rebellion, and when none came he jogged from the cave mouth back into the night.

I waited, hearing his gentle footfalls on the stones outside, and when there was no sound left to hear I followed.

It wasn't that I wanted to defy Clark, but I had to. How could I sit in a musty, dark cavern with a killer when I could be backing up the man I had come here for? I shuddered as I glanced around in the blackness of the wilderness. Could I even find my way back to White Summit? For Clark it was easy, and speed was indeed his ally, but I only had my senses to rely on, and right now I wasn't feeling confident.

I spotted a few landmarks I'd seen on our journey and decided to try using them to guide me back the way we had come. I hoped that the killers wouldn't think us stupid enough to return to the lab, and therefore wouldn't be expecting us to backtrack. I had the Berretta, of course, but I wasn't a cold, hard killer like the thugs who would most likely be pursuing us. _You got the guy in the cave, Sullivan. Give yourself some credit!_

I wasn't looking for credit, though, I was looking for Clark. He'd no doubt already be back at the facility, but what would he find there?

It didn't take as long to reach White Summit as I had expected. Maybe I had been so scared running from the place that I hadn't really taken note of our journey time, but either way I had surprised myself. Lois would indeed have been proud of me.

Now, it was time for the hard part.

I edged up to the security gate we had originally entered via and clasped my hands tightly around the gun. My palms felt sticky as I began to perspire with fear. The guard Lois had shot in the kneecaps had vanished, and as far as I could tell he had not been replaced. Perhaps most of the security team were out looking for us, or perhaps the people here had already fled. Either way, I couldn't afford to get complacent. This all could be a trap.

I gulped, but my mouth was dry and I felt a lump form in my throat. This was it.

Pushing my body forward I slid over to the swipe card panel, using the night and shadows to try and remain undetected. _Are the cameras back on?_

As I neared, I spotted a figure on the floor. It was another guard, but he hadn't been shot. A vision of Clark doing one of his infamous 'tap em on the head and knock em out' routines came to me, and I couldn't help but smile. He'd beaten me here and was already inside.

I walked on until I came to the security door. It had been bent open like someone had used a giant can opener on it. Above, the camera that should be able to track me sat melted on its support. Thin splashes of molten plastic had dripped down from it. Heat vision! I grinned and carried on.

Once in the main section of the building I paused. Should I go back to the lab, or try Schenkel's office first? I listened, hoping to hear some sound that would tip me off to Clark's whereabouts, but White Summit was eerily silent. It was like being back in the cemetery again, only this time it was much more dangerous.

"Okay, Sullivan, what say we try the lab first?" I spoke to myself, mostly just to hear the sound of my own voice and to break the lack of noise that was terrifying me.

I moved on, each footfall resounding down the passageway and pushing my nerves to their limits. Finally, I reached the lab doorway and could detect voices from within.

I strained my ears, wondering if I had found Clark, or the despicable Schenkel. What I heard convinced me I had found both.

Schenkel's voice grated on my ears, and it was exactly the kind of timbre I would have expected from such an evil, obsessive man. He was raving about how his work had been ruined, and how someone would pay- that someone being Clark.

The gun in my hand began to shake as I remembered that for Clark to be in the lab it meant he was probably incapacitated and in pain from the green aura that filled the place. It was time for me to make another daring rescue, but could I do it?

Without hesitating, I kicked out at the door as I imagined Lois would have and then slammed my tiny body forward. My shoulder hit the door hard and I thought for a moment it wasn't going to open. After all, I didn't have the access card. Luckily for me, Clark had found the lab first and had used his alien charms on it. With a creak, the metal gave way and I was in.

I stumbled into the lab that was now only half-lit and quickly attempted to regain my composure. What I saw didn't help me. The beds that had been full before were now empty save for one. Lois lay on it, unmoving and looking pretty bedraggled.

To her left somewhat, Clark lay on the floor shaking, and a white coated individual hovered over him, apparently enjoying the sight of what he was inflicting. I had no doubt that the man was Schenkel.

"Move away from him!" I screamed, gesturing with my weapon for the scientist to move away from his victim.

Schenkel turned, glaring at me over his tiny rimmed glasses. "You people have ruined everything! How dare you come in here making demands?"

He didn't seem to grasp that I had a gun, and so I proved to him I wasn't afraid to use it. Flicking my wrist so the barrel was pointed upwards, I let off a single round into the ceiling. "Move away or you get the next slug. I'm not kidding."

The scientist moved then, but only towards me. The idea scared me. He was a guy after all, and if he got too close he might try to take my gun. He eyed me like he was scrutinizing a specimen.

"You're going to help me drag Clark out of this room," I commanded. "I don't know what you have in here or what you've done to him again, but you're going to help me put it right."

Schenkel laughed. It wasn't an evil laugh, simply the defiant chortle of a man who had no intention of doing as I asked. He stuffed his hands in his white jacket pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "Now why would I do that when this room subdues the boy perfectly well? In fact, you know, if he were to be left here long enough the effects could even be fatal…"

I knew that of course, but what I didn't know was what was wrong with Lois, and if Clark had been hurt again besides the meteor poisoning. One thing I was sure of was that Schenkel wasn't going to help me. I had to subdue him somehow and do the rest of the work myself.

I looked around the lab room, frantically searching until I found something suitable for my needs. It was a length of tubing, probably used as an oxygen cannulae but it would suffice. I edged over to it, careful to keep the good doctor at arms length. Once I had it in my grasp, I motioned for Schenkel to take a seat on one of the empty beds.

He smirked. "You'll never get them both out of here on your own, even if I do as you ask. The girl resisted my men rather too well and they had to get a little rough with her…"

I fired the gun again then. This time right at the maniac's left foot. He jumped reflexively and I noted his hands shaking slightly afterwards. _Good. He's not as brave as he'd like me to believe._ I pointed again and he obeyed my command.

As soon as he was seated, I tugged his hands behind his back and secured them with the tubing. Then, I used an extra length to tie his feet to together. While I worked, I looked over to Clark on the floor. He groaned, but I saw his eyes sparkle with a gleam of hope as he recognized me.

"I told you not to try this without me!" I chided him, and I guess at that moment I really shouldn't have, but sometimes Clark really did walk right into trouble. Then again, so did Lois. _What I pair I've gotten stuck with!_

"You really think you can make a difference?" I looked up to see Schenkel staring at me as if I'd gone mad. "The boy has abilities beyond your mere human ones. I hadn't made note of them until tonight, but now…now…" A distant expression crossed his features and I realized with horror that the doctor was thinking about his hidden files and who he was going to reveal them too. "He's even more remarkable than Mitchell…"

I slapped Schenkel then. Don't ask me where the emotion came from, and I'm not sure it was totally in character for me, but here he was talking about people like they were expendable just for his own gains. He'd killed Rich by not getting him proper care and what of the others? Were they dead now too? "What did you do with the records you made about Clark and the others?" I held the barrel of my Berretta to his temple and it trembled in my grasp.

Schenkel's eyes moved to watch my trigger finger, and my tremulous grip obviously scared him. "I'll die rather than tell you…"

I knew he was lying. His voice cracked as he spoke, and I determined if I pressurized just a little more he would give up the information. At that moment I was torn. Lois was hurt, perhaps badly and Clark was suffering too. Could I afford to take the risk to keep the files on Clark from falling into the wrong hands? I decided to give it one shot.

Playing my card, I let the scientist see my finger begin to depress the trigger. Right then, I was angry enough almost to do it, and I think Schenkel realized the fact.

"The disc is in my office, but you'll never be able to get to it. I have someone in there removing all my files." His voice quivered.

"Where in the office," I demanded.

Schenkel glared at me. "It's taped to the bottom of the second drawer of my desk."

I eyed him for signs of deceit. "You better not be lying…"

"Chloe…leave the disc…" Clark's weak voice echoed across the room and I looked over to see him curled into a foetal position, obviously in agony. Guilt hit me then, and I raced to his side, being careful not to put my back to the bound scientist.

"I'm going to get you out of here now," I promised as I knelt by Clark's side. "You're going to have to try and help me like before, though. I glanced to Lois. She still hadn't moved. "I think Lois is hurt too…"

Clark shivered, and I noticed the dressing to his side from earlier was now soaked with blood again. _How?_ I shot Schenkel a look of hatred, and as my eyes caught his expensive shoes I realized with horror how Clark's wound had been re opened. Schenkel's best footwear was spattered with blood. _My God he actually kicked Clark while he was down!_

"The others…find out where they are…we can't leave them." Clark's pleas took back my attention and I ran a hand across his perspiring brow. I needed to hurry. He was getting sicker.

"Well?" I demanded of Schenkel. "Where are they?"

The doctor sneered back at me. "They're gone. Taken to another facility where I can continue my work unhindered." He nodded across the room to a black body bag I hadn't noticed before. "Save for him, of course. He was no longer of any use to me."

Suddenly, I felt cold. Without even looking I knew Schenkel meant Rich Mitchell._ At least he's not suffering anymore._ In my fury, I wanted to interrogate the doctor more, but I knew Clark wouldn't stand it. Instead, I whacked Schenkel with the butt of my gun, hoping to knock him our while we escaped. It's hard to know just how much force to use on someone to render them unconscious, but I took my best guess and it seemed to work.

"Get Lois out first," Clark begged. "I've never known her this quiet. She must be hurt pretty badly."

I ignored him. If we were to escape I needed Clark's help, and the longer he remained exposed to the meteor presence the less of his 'extra' energy he was likely to have for awhile.

I grabbed his arms and tried to pull him up, but even though he attempted to help it just didn't work. I gave him an apologetic look and did the only thing I could think of next. I literally dragged him across the lab like the day I'd once dragged him out of Lex Luthor's giant safe. It wasn't exactly a pretty manoeuvre but it was effective.

Within minutes, I'd hauled Clark outside into the corridor and propped him against the wall. "Will you be okay while I try and rouse Lois?" I asked breathlessly.

Clark nodded and looked worriedly back through the door at my cousin. "If they treated Lois like they did me…"

I patted him on the shoulder reassuringly and jogged back inside. I didn't want to tell Clark, but I was having enough problems of my own. The knife wound where I'd gotten slashed earlier was hurting like hell, and I doubted I'd be able to pick anything up with my arm for much longer. All three of us were a mess.

"Lois?" I prodded hard, knowing my cousin was a pretty deep sleeper at the best of times, never mind if she'd been slugged. "Lois!"

"Will you quit that," she mumbled. "It can't be that time already…"

I poked again, this time with the cool metal butt of the Berretta. "Lois, I know you're hurting, but we have to make another run for it."

Lois groaned and rolled onto her side. As soon as she made the move, she realized it was a mistake and sat bolt upright with a gasp. I watched as she clutched her ribs on her right side and then grimaced. "What the hell?" She looked around, dazed. "I'm getting a serious case of déjà vu here. How did we get back here? It's getting like Groundhog Day…"

"Long story, and I don't have time to explain." I tugged at her. "Can you walk?"

Lois scowled. "No, but I can hobble," she griped, but made a move to follow me to the door albeit at a snail's pace. "Wait a minute, where's Smallville?" She stopped dead in her tracks and I could see she was worried as she noted Schenkel slumped on one of the beds.

"He's outside. Now can we just MOVE?" She got my message.

Back out in the passageway, I found Clark had recovered enough to stand up unaided. I guess the relief showed on my face quite clearly because he smiled softly at me before putting his attention on Lois.

She scowled as he gazed at her just a little too attentively. "Not exactly the moment I would have picked to go checking a girl's figure out, Smallville!"

The serious nature of our situation still couldn't stifle a small giggle from me. Of course, I knew darn well Clark was using his x-ray vision to make sure Lois wasn't too hurt, but she had no way of knowing that. She frowned at my seemingly blaze attitude to the whole thing and then began to hobble towards the nearest exit still clutching her side.

Clark gawked at her comment, but recovered suitably enough tell my cousin what he thought. "Lois, you need to be careful. Your ribs are broken."

My cousin wasn't impressed. "Yeah, well I'd trust a doctor on that diagnosis a whole lot better than a farmboy."

I suspected she knew he was right, although how he had come to the conclusion she would never know- well, not for a few more years at any rate.

I inhaled and then brought up the rear of our trio. As we neared Schenkel's office I told the others to hold back. If Schenkel had been telling the truth, someone armed could be waiting for us inside.

"Why do we need to risk our necks to save these files again, Chloe?" Lois whispered as she hunched over in the corridor.

I grimaced. How could I tell her that it wasn't just for the missing men from the explosion, but to save Clark's secret too? I bit my lip, and was only saved from a very uncomfortable situation by Clark. He'd apparently x-rayed through the office wall and spotted the man working inside.

"I'll handle this…" Clark grabbed at the door handle and scooted into the office before I could protest.

I knew there was no point in asking Lois to stay behind, so I dived on in after him and hoped my cousin didn't join the fray. It was silly of me to think she wouldn't, given her track record of disobedience, but I was surprised when she didn't follow.

_Lois must be hurt more than she's saying!_ I thought about Clark warning her about her ribs as I stormed the room. He wouldn't have risked exposing his gift like that if he hadn't been concerned. Still, first we had to deal with the situation at hand.

From what I could see, Clark pretty well had everything in control.

A man clad in black like the guard Lois had shot was rifling through Schenkel's work. To me, it didn't look like he was trying to save it, but rather decide what to destroy and what to steal. Perhaps Schenkel's boss had had enough of the scientist and was about to take his discoveries and leave him high and dry- or worse, dead.

Right now, the man's motives didn't matter, though. Upon seeing Clark, the henchman drew his weapon, and summarily had it melted out of his hand with Clark's heat vision. He yelped, but he hadn't done yet. As Clark approached him, the dark garbed guard pulled out something from his pocket.

I saw the flash of green and knew instantly that he was aware of Clark's disability.

Clark faltered but didn't go down on his knees straight away like I'd hoped. Right now, he was blocking me getting a good shot at the bad guy, and that wasn't good…not when the man grabbed a pure silver letter opener from Schenkel's desk and was obviously about to use it- and I don't mean to open his mail.


	9. Chapter 9

I watched in total horror as I saw the blade come down in an arc towards Clark, but then, right at the last minute, Clark twisted away.

The move must have been pure agony for him, and I don't know where he drew the energy from, but somehow he did. His Attacker now lunged at empty space and almost over-balanced. I faltered with my weapon, unsure if I dare fire it because Clark was still so close, but I needn't have worried.

Using his last remaining burst of strength, Clark grabbed at the man's feet as he slumped down from the meteor rock's effects, and the pair crumpled to the floor together in a mass of tangled limbs. I didn't wait for the bad guy to regain his composure with his impromptu weapon. I pounced on him like a tigress protecting her cub.

Grabbing his hand and twisting it around in a lock a professional wrestler would have been proud of, I shook the letter opener from his palm and he barked from the pain I was inflicting. I thought I had him under control, but then I remembered I had to remove the meteor lump from his other hand so that Clark could recover.

I cursed and put my attention on his other arm, but the man began to struggle and elbowed me straight in the face. Blood sprayed from my nose where his blow impacted, but I refused to give in to his strikes and twisted his hand around further. He swore at me then, and I expected yet another punch.

Instead, he slumped to the carpet, unconscious. I looked up to see Lois standing over us with her head cocked to one side and some kind of bronze science award in her hand. It appeared to be Schenkel's. "Jeez, can't you two manage anything without me?" she teased.

I smiled cheekily back, but put my effort into prying the green rock from the bad guy's grasp. It wasn't easy, but once it was free I tossed it into the far corner of the room. "Are you alright, Clark?" I could see he was already recovering, but after all we'd been through I felt I needed to ask.

"I think I should be asking you that question." He pointed to my nose and I probed the side of it, panicking because I was sure it felt fractured. "Don't panic, it's not broken," he informed me helpfully as he tugged his battered frame from the floor.

I sighed with relief, but noted the weird look Lois gave my farmboy. He really was pushing his luck letting these little things slip out in front of her, and once we were alone I was going to have to point that out. Right now, though, we needed to get the disc and run. I had a sure-fire feeling that the guy we'd just decked would be the first of many we had to deal with yet.

"I wasn't panicking," I lied as I clambered up; taking the hand Clark offered to steady me. "I passed the panic stage about five hours ago…"

Clark smiled at that, even though I suspect he knew I wasn't joking.

Then, Lois chimed in as usual with her no-nonsense approach. "Guys, can we cut the small talk and get moving? I'm not in any shape to run and I think we'll be getting more company real soon."

I nodded and scurried to Schenkel's desk with my two companions in tow. As I looked down I winced. The drawers were the lockable type, and I guessed Schenkel wasn't the kind of guy to be lax on security.

Clark realized what I was thinking and pushed past me so that he was first to try the drawers. They opened instantly with a metallic screech, and I knew he had used a little extra strength on them to bust the locking mechanism.

Lois appeared oblivious. "These guys need to learn how to use an oil can," she quipped as she watched me fumble under the drawer, searching for the elusive records.

"Bingo!" I pulled out a small envelope and checked inside. There was one solitary computer disk, but I suspected it was all I would need. Wiping congealing blood from under my nose with a tissue from the good doctor's desk, I gestured towards the door. "Let's hit the yellow brick road."

Lois kept hold of her metal club and headed for the corridor. "Yeah, well I can't wait to find out who that disc incriminates as the Wicked Witch of the West…" she didn't look back as she spoke, but continued muttering under her breath about how she would be kicking their butt once she found out.

I noticed Clark squinting at the wall as she neared it, and knew he was x-raying right through to check for more bad guys. When he took my still shaking hand and ushered me forward, I knew we were in the clear- at least for now.

Escaping from the complex proved no more difficult than breaking back in had. Of course, we had Clark on our side, and even at half power he was still unrivalled among humans.

As we jogged from the surrounding grounds of White Summit, I couldn't help but feel we were free from some terrible evil. I knew we were not out of the woods, if you'll pardon my pun, but at least the feeling of impending doom and misery was gone.

Clark wasn't feeling so buoyant, though. "I left Rich behind again…" he said dolefully as we clambered down a shale covered incline. "I should have brought his body out before they dispose of it."

Again, I wanted to whack him. It was pretty darn obvious he hadn't looked in a mirror recently, but surely he realized he looked as awful as I and Lois did? "You're in no fit state to carry anyone," I pointed out, "besides, I think you'll be carrying Lois pretty soon if we don't find help."

Lois had paused and was standing with her head almost to her knees to try and catch her breath. The bad guys had really done a number on us all. So far, I think I'd gotten away lightest with my bloodied nose.

Clark knew I was right. "How much further to the main road?" he asked, worriedly.

To be honest, I really wasn't sure, but I took my best guess, and Lois the navigator amongst us didn't argue. "I think it's about ten more minutes to that ridge, and then maybe ten to the tree line."

Clark looked ahead, weighing up the terrain and then nodded. Whether he realized the car we'd left was not in this area I don't know, but he never asked. He silently walked over to Lois and put an arm around her. "Can you make it?"

On any other day, I think a shirtless Clark wrapping an arm around my cousin would probably have earned him a punch, but right now I saw her expression change. Lois was grateful of his concern and affection, and the warmth he somehow exuded seemed to give her the strength to carry on. She nodded. "Just needed a breather," she lied through gritted teeth.

For now, Clark accepted she could go on, knowing Lois was a pretty proud girl when it came to her stamina. But, he stayed close by her side until we could see the tree line in front of us, just in case.

As the roadway loomed ahead through the veil of the trees, I actually thought we'd made it without being pursued, but that was too much to ask for.

I stumbled forward on a loose unearthed root and only caught myself by grabbing the nearest tree trunk. Two inches from where my hand landed on the rough bark a shower of wood erupted and I was left gawking. My brain couldn't assimilate all the information and work out what was happening.

Clark explained it all for me. "Someone's shooting at us!" he yelled, scooping the flagging Lois up in his already weak arms.

I gawped for a second and then recovered myself just in time. Another bullet skimmed past the tree and came perilously close to my shoulder, but I was now running like mad towards the road. Clark was in front of me, but where we thought we could escape to I didn't know.

I guess what happened next might be called a miracle. I know that's how I felt when I saw the little red truck trundling aimlessly down the back road. The question was, with bullets flying, would the driver stop, or turn tail?

I saw Clark stop dead in the middle of the road with Lois still in his arms. He seemed to stare right into the eyes of the truck driver pleadingly, and the next minute I was seeing black rubber marks right along the tarmac.

The hood of the Dodge juddered as its driver hit the brakes, and the metal grille came to a stop perilously close to where Clark was standing. The next minute the driver hopped out and was most definitely ready for a full blown ruckus.

"Idiot boy! Tryin to git yerself killed are ya?" The more he shouted, the more pronounced his accent became, and the more I gaped.

The driver was Herb Fresner, our eccentric host from the lodge. He continued to cuss at Clark until he realized it was Lois in his arms, and that I was bringing up the rear, closely followed by at least one bad guy.

A bullet clipped the Dodge's right side headlamp, shattering the glass all over the road. Herb flinched then and managed to finally look startled.

"Mr. Fresner, remember what you told us about being careful? You were right, and now we need your help!" I grabbed the old guy's arm and hastily guided him back behind the wheel while Clark placed Lois inside and then hopped in himself.

"You got me mixed up in that!" Fresner didn't seem too happy, but he didn't tell us to get the heck out of his truck either. "I told you girls not to go snoopin if you know what was good fer ya!" He waited rather graciously until I was inside and then rammed the pickup into reverse.

I had no idea why he chose to go back instead of forward, and right at that moment I didn't care. Anyone who just saved my life was allowed to make a few 'kooky' choices.

CRACK. The glass in the rear panel exploded in on us as more slugs, this time from an automatic, poured into the vehicle. I ducked, and noted Fresner was taking the Dodge off road. _Maybe the old guy isn't so crazy, after all…_

After two intense minutes, the bullets stopped and we all dared to look up. Fresner's eyes were glued to the rough terrain he was steering through, and his hands appeared to be cemented to the steering wheel, he was gripping it so tightly.

"Thank you," I managed to rasp.

Fresner nodded, and then as an afterthought glanced over and asked more softly, "Tell me, girlie, was it worth it? Did you find what you were lookin for?"

I turned to Clark and smiled. _Oh yes._ "Mr. Fresner, this is Clark Kent, my friend and someone I thought I'd lost forever."

Fresner nodded and eyed Clark warily, sizing him up. I'm guessing the shirtless part was something he didn't approve of. Then, he scrutinized Lois. She had her head lolled on Clark's shoulder and she didn't look too good. In fact, I was starting to worry. "Your friend looks like she needs a hospital. You all do…" He peered at my nose and I suddenly felt self conscious.

"Not a good idea," Lois mumbled before I could open my mouth. "Those guys who were shooting at us would expect that. I'll just have to rough it out." She winced as the truck bounced over a hole in the dirt track.

Fresner shook his head. "Lil Missy, you're in too much of a mess and so are your friends. Don't you worry none, though. I know just the place to take you. My brother will fix you all up in no time. He'll not talk neither!"

All kinds of ideas ran through my mind. If Herb's brother was a doctor he was bound by the law to report treating our injuries. I had a stab would to my forearm for starters. Then, there was the problem of a doctor getting anywhere near Clark. "We appreciate the offer, but if you can just get us back to our car or another car hire center…"

Herb waved me off and I saw Clark start to become alarmed. We were in one fine mess, and I had no clue how to get us out of it. "Doctors have to report things like this. We wouldn't want to get your brother in any kind of trouble," I said lamely.

"Besides, the bad guys might stake out all the medical centers and doctors homes in the area to find us. We'd hate to put him in any danger," Clark butted in helpfully.

Fresner still didn't budge. He grinned a great big toothy grin and then turned on the radio until it was blasting out country music. "Ain't no problem with my bro getting in trouble, or being staked out, because he ain't no doctor!"

Suddenly I had visions of Herb belonging to some whacked out family like the ones you always find in horror movies. Scenes from 'Deliverance' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' filtered through my head, and I was forced to rethink if we'd really escaped at all...

TBC...


	10. Chapter 10

"Just who is your brother?" I eventually dared to ask, trying to stay positive despite wondering how anyone from Fresner's family could possibly know medicine. _Knowing our luck it's probably Doc Schenkel himself!_

Herb grinned again and I sensed he knew I was casting dispersions on his family name in my head. If he did, he took it in his stride. "No worries, lil missy. We're only half brothers." He laughed then, and I saw Clark look at me in despair. Herb seemed to think the whole situation was funny. After letting us suffer a few seconds more, he jerked a thumb back into the bed of the truck. "See old Orville back there? Well my bro fixed him up real good last fall after an auto accident. Good as new he is…"

Lois groaned as she twisted her head and saw just what 'Orville' was. "My God," she muttered as she saw the shaggy mutt. "Your brother's a second rate vet and you want to let him loose on us!" Her head slumped back onto Clark's shoulder, but I could still hear her mumbling. "I've woken up in a Dr. Doolittle movie and I'm not liking where I've been cast…"

I smiled then, maybe out of relief, maybe because of Lois' warped humor even though she was hurt.

Herb saw the funny side too. "First rate vet, I'll have you know." He winked at me then, and I knew I hadn't been stuck with a deranged hick after all. I still wasn't too keen on being prodded by a vet, but my arm was stinging and I knew I needed stitches. Lois probably was in worse shape than me.

"How far?" I eventually asked, glancing at Clark to make sure the vet idea wasn't freaking him out.

Herb tugged off his peaked cap and mopped his brow with it. Then, he pointed ahead to a gap in the trees. "Zeke has a cabin up here. He likes to stay away from all the hustle and bustle. That's why I figured it'd be the perfect place to bring you folks."

"Thank you for trying to help." Clark hadn't really said a lot until now, but I could see he had been thinking hard about our situation. "Why did you risk yourself back there?" he looked at Fresner with that innocent expression that no one could lie to. "I mean, you could have jumped in your truck and hit reverse when the shooting started. You didn't have to bring us out here."

Herb pulled the truck hard left into a clearing. In the right hand corner, I spotted a modern style log cabin almost hidden by the conifers that surrounded the copse. He pulled the Dodge up to it and killed the ignition before answering. "Because I know murder has been going on around these parts, Boy, and most folks have turned a blind eye." He looked to the truck floor. "I did for awhile, until that young reporter never came back. Then, when your two young lady friends showed I didn't want it to happen to them…"

Clark patted the old man's arm. "You're a good man, Sir…"

"But you charge too much for your rooms," Lois added helpfully from her stupor. "And your truck needs new suspension. It played hell with my ribs…"

Herb chortled at my cousin's cheek. "I guess we better get you inside to see my second rate brother then." He nodded to Clark to bring Lois in, and then scurried from the cab to alert his brother Zeke to our presence.

I hopped out and held the door while Clark gently plucked Lois from the cab. I even felt a slight pang of jealousy as he held her close to his chest and carried her inside. I knew deep down I'd never be with Clark, but it didn't stop a girl from dreaming about being carried off by her hero now did it?

Zeke Fresner's cabin was much nicer than I had anticipated. The front area contained his living quarters and guest room, and the rear was where he did all his real work with the local animals.

The place was fully kitted out for almost any animal emergency, and I guessed it would have to do for us now too.

"Who's first?" Herb's brother looked at me expectantly, and I somehow sensed he thought I was the ring leader of the group. He was younger than Herb, and when he smiled at me I felt myself relax rather than tense. Zeke was definitely good at calming his patients _The guy's probably a great horse whisperer._

"I think you should look at Lois first…" I turned just as Clark brought my cousin through, and as soon as he saw her limp in farmboy's arms, Zeke agreed.

"Bring her through here," he motioned to Clark, and then indicated that I should take a seat in his small but comfortable waiting room. I thought it was ironic really. People brought their pets here every day and waited anxiously, and here I was waiting for Lois.

Clark reappeared five minutes later with a blue blanket draped over his shoulders. He took a seat beside me and I could tell he was pretty much exhausted. "He's worried about Lois' broken ribs causing internal damage," he explained. "But he doesn't have an x-ray machine here…"

I sat upright. "But you could…"

Clark grinned. "I already did. She'll be okay, but I can't exactly tell him that," he sighed. "How are you feeling?"

I couldn't lie. It had just been one hell of day and I didn't care to have another like it for a very long time. "I feel like I've lost my best friend, found him again, got slashed, punched…"

Clark held up a huge palm. "I think I get the idea. If it's any consolation, being exposed to meteor rocks all that time wasn't exactly fun either." He shivered at the thought, and I remembered just what he must have been through.

"Do you think the doc here has a computer system for his furry patients?" I perked up and began looking around to find a pc. While Lois was being tended there was no reason why I couldn't be doing a little disc scouring with my blanket clad farmboy. I grabbed it from my purse and wafted it in front of those blue-green dancing orbs of his.

Clark looked past the CD and squinted at the wall. He smiled when he caught me watching him. "The computer is through that door in the office. Maybe you should ask before you just barge in, though." He was just too polite as usual.

I stood up, intent on 'borrowing' the pc anyway when a voice chortled from the doorway. "Zeke won't mind you using his system as long as you leave his private stuff alone." It was Herb and he was looking at me intently. "I hope you find what you're looking for," he said optimistically.

I nodded and grabbed Clark's hand, dragging him into Zeke's office before he could file a protest. I expected Herb to follow and watch over our shoulders, but instead he vanished.

"Just what do you expect to find on that thing?" Clark asked as we both pulled up a seat.

I shrugged and flicked the front button to power up Zeke's system. While it booted I clicked the disc from its sleeve and then popped it into the top drive. "Maybe Schenkel will incriminate his boss on this thing," I said optimistically.

Clark's expression told me he was more than doubtful. "I think all he will have done on there is incriminate me, Chloe," he sighed dolefully and I couldn't help but put my hand on his arm.

"Hey, Smallville," I teased him using the nickname Lois had daubed him with. "Don't you give up on me yet, okay?"

He smiled then, and I clicked the mouse to get the disc to load. The truth was about to out.

Both our eyes veered towards Zeke Fresner's computer screen as information began to scroll across it. Of course, it was totally indecipherable. Schenkel had encrypted his documents like any good scientist would.

"Now what?" I had never felt so frustrated in all my life. I mean, I'm a pretty good hacker myself, and I have a few friends who are even better, but I knew we just weren't good enough for this level.

Clark looked at me in despair. "Don't look at me! I farm vegetables, I don't fish for information!"

"Ha ha," I glared at him then, although I admit I can never stay mad at Clark for long. Luckily, I didn't have too. Herb Fresner reappeared, and with quite a surprise.

"Need some help, lil missy?" Fresner didn't wait for me to scoff at him, but instead ambled into the room still wearing his grease smeared cap. "I'm pretty good at this kind of thing…"

"_You're_ good with decrypting top secret files that are probably military strength encoded?" I let the sarcasm roll off my tongue. "Next you'll be telling me you're not actually a lodge keeper after all."

Herb ignored my incredulous expression and pulled up a third seat. He pushed me politely off the keyboard and began to type almost as fast as Clark could. "Nope, I'm a lodge keeper full time," he mumbled absentmindedly.

When I realized he wasn't even looking at the keyboard I began to take him more seriously. "You know computers?"

Fresner winked. "Never take appearances at face value. A person's attire and the way they talk doesn't necessarily mean you're seeing the whole side to them. Let's just say I've had a career before retiring here."

I shut my mouth then and felt myself blush a bright shade of crimson. Clark saw the funny side and grinned, and I was tempted to punch him. Then, I saw the bruising clearly visible beneath his blanket, and remembered what he'd been through. "Maybe I could clean the two of us up a little while Mr. Fresner works," I offered. "Perhaps we could even borrow you a shirt before Lois gets the hots for you."

This time it was Clark's turn to blush. Revenge was sweet.

Herb let out his now customary chuckle and thumbed back into the waiting room. "I already put one of Zeke's out there for you, boy. Don't think my bro is quite your size, though…"

I dragged Clark back through anyway. When I saw what Herb had left for us I stifled a laugh. He'd never seen how Clark dressed back in Kansas. But, sat innocently on one of the waiting room chairs lay a plaid shirt folded neatly and precisely.

Clark didn't seem to notice that it was funny and quickly tossed off his blanket. He grabbed the shirt and began to tug it on, until I stopped him. "Whoa, don't you think you ought to get cleaned up first?" I pointed to the dried blood and dressing that now hung from his side rather than covered his wound.

"I'm healing," he said matter-of-factly, and to prove it he peeled off the gauze entirely to reveal nothing more than a scratch. "I just feel a little bruised now, but that will soon pass. You look like you need the attention far more." He carried on tussling with the shirt then until he realized it was at least a size too small. "Great…"

I giggled. "You look like the Incredible Hulk when he's about to get angry…"

Clark rolled his eyes at my pun, and then gave in to the fact that the shirt was not going to fasten. Of course, I wasn't about to complain that I was still getting full view of his chest. Oh no, in fact, I even made a mental note to thank Herb for finding such a small shirt.

"Maybe we should put something on your arm until the doc…until Mr. Fresner's brother can look at you." Clark either didn't notice I was staring at him, or he chose to ignore me. What can I say? I'd had a bad day and here he was standing there all dishevelled looking and so…so…

I shook myself. "Just grab something from the doc's exam room and I'll wrap it up while we check out how Herb is doing on Schenkel's code."

Clark looked reluctant to barge in while Lois was still being fixed up, but I shooed him in, mostly because I was hoping for an update on my cousin too. He vanished through the door and I could hear his usual apologies to our newfound vet friend. _Sheesh, there goes Mr. Polite again!_

Two minutes later he reappeared with a bandage and some antiseptic wipes in his hand.

"Did you find anything out about Lois?" I asked worriedly.

Clark nodded and scooted over to where I was standing. I still couldn't get over his under-sized apparel, but I managed to control my giggling this time while I listened.

"She's asleep. Doc Fresner gave her something to knock her out." Clark followed me back into the office area and continued talking. I noted he now called our vet friend 'Doc' but didn't comment. "He said Lois' so stubborn she'd have caused more damage if he hadn't sedated her, but she'll be okay once she rests up."

I doubted it. If I knew Lois she'd be evil once she awakened. Nothing is worse than my cousin when she's hurting and wanting payback. "I'll bet he had to use a horse sedative to knock her out, if I know Lois," I quipped as I rejoined Herb at the computer screen.

Clark grinned knowingly. He hadn't really seen every side to Lois yet, but he obviously knew her stubborn side by heart. "Find anything, Mr. Fresner?" He asked, pulling his attention from our conversation back to the disc.

Herb sat back on his chair and crossed his hands smugly on his overly-large stomach. "What do you think, boy?" He let his forefingers point to the monitor. "Pretty quick work for an old hick, huh?"

I had to admit I was impressed. Herb had broken the code in less than thirty minutes. "Just who are you really?" I raised a brow and wondered if I shouldn't be afraid of the company I was in again.

Herb shook his head and then rose to leave. "A friend, My Dear…"

I watched him disappear out of the room into his brother's living quarters and shook myself. I had thought Smallville was weird, but Colorado was definitely catching up.

Clark read my thoughts. "You'll be needing two Wall of Weirds if this keeps up!"

"No thanks," I sighed and then winced as I caught my injured arm on the desk. Clark noticed and the 'patch up' kit he'd acquired from Zeke reappeared. "Let me fix that while we work." His voice was suddenly so tender I really couldn't resist. I mean, who could? I held out my forearm and began to access the onscreen files with my good hand while he worked to clean me up.

Finding Schenkel's notes was the easiest part. They were mainly divided into two sections. One about Rich, and one about Clark. It was all fascinating I'm sure to someone with about two million diplomas in biochemistry and lord only knew what, but it was like reading Swahili to me.

Clark seemed to understand more of the scientific stuff than I did, but then I knew all I needed to know. For Clark to stay safe, the disc needed to be destroyed. First things first, though. We still needed to search for clues to Schenkel's boss. Was it really Lex?

"I can't find anything here about who was funding White Summit, or who was giving out the orders to Schenkel," I sighed disappointedly. "There just has to be something I'm missing…"

"What about searching through the file marked useful numbers?" Clark cocked an eyebrow as he finished wrapping my arm.

I wasn't convinced. "Oh, come on, Schenkel is hardly likely to keep his bosses telephone number in plain view!" Clark was obviously having one of his 'dumb' moments, and I just had to call him on it.

Nevertheless, now that he'd suggested the idea, I did feel compelled to check what was really listed in 'Dr. Frankenstein's' telephone directory folder. I clicked on the mouse and waited nervously until a very long list of numbers appeared on screen. Most had no names beside them, only abbreviations. That didn't stop Clark from picking out one right away.

He pointed to the topmost number labelled Mjolnir and I could see his finger shaking as he spoke. "That's Lex's cell phone…"

_TBC..._


	11. Chapter 11

I have to admit, I was surprised. Not because Lex's name had cropped up on the disc, but because it was so obvious. "Don't you think Lex would be a little more cautious than to use his own cell number as a contact line?" I glanced at Clark and raised a brow. "I mean, don't you think he's have an unregistered cell at the very least?"

The idea that Lex might not be so guilty brought obvious signs of relief to Clark's face. "You think this is a set up?" He asked warily.

In truth, I had no clue, but something just seemed off. I pointed to the strange word at the side of the number. "I don't know yet, but this looks interesting. What do you think it could stand for?"

Clark gazed at the word. Mjolnir seemed to stick out from the monitor. It looked like an anagram, but neither of us could crack it. "Try doing a Google search, Chloe."

I nodded and quickly accessed the internet. It was such a strange word I expected a long and arduous hunt before we found anything, but I was wrong. The results were almost instantaneous.

"Mjolnir is Thor's hammer." Clark appeared surprised. "Tell me that's not pushing the obvious too far…"

"Thor's hammer as in Lu _'thor.'_" Even I couldn't believe the corny irony. "Clark, no way is that an idea of Lex's. He may have a warped sense of humor, but he's just too sophisticated to play that joke, or to leave his cell number lying around like that."

"So, if it isn't Lex, who's behind White Summit?" Clark was in full investigative swing now that he thought his friend wasn't the guilty party.

I wasn't so convinced that Lex was a good guy, but I had to admit it was looking pretty doubtful that he's instigated Clark's kidnapping. In fact, whoever had taken Clark and the others hadn't appeared to know about his allergies or his gifts- at least not at first. "I'm thinking our bad guy has one major grudge against Lex or Luthorcorp. They also appear to be pretty well off in the cashola department to fund all those labs and secret facilities."

"Lex has way too many enemies to figure this out unless there's more to the disc." Clark spun on his chair absentmindedly. "If our bad guy left behind fake clues, maybe they left real ones too."

"Like what? We've searched every file on the disc." I hit enter and returned to the main menu, but the same options glared at me as before. There was nowhere new to look. "Who would blow up a lab and try to cut in on Lex's experiments for even eviler purposes?"

Clark shot me a look at my 'even eviler' comment, but he didn't argue. Instead, he began wracking his brain for answers. "Who would employ someone like Schenkel? Would it be for revenge, or just plain old industrial espionage?"

I shrugged. "Clark, Lex has so many enemies…heck, it could even be his father!"

"Not quite…"

Clark and I spun around to the door simultaneously. The voice and the attitude were very familiar to us both, but I'd lay a bet neither of us had expected to see the guy here.

Dominic Sanitori smiled at our shocked expressions, and it was then I noted the gun in his hand. He watched my gaze and then peered at Clark. "Don't think of using your gifts if you want Miss Lane and the vet to live."

"You set all this up just to get back at Lex and his family?" I asked incredulously. "How did you fund it? Why now?" A multitude of questions came to mind, not least why Sanitori would be interested in scientific research.

"Let's just say I'm not alone in this venture, but my partner has a mutual interest in seeing Luthorcorp brought down. I had no real interest in the lab side of things, but I didn't appreciate being accused of the attempted murder of Lionel…"

"But your partner obviously has an interest in the scientific side," Clark interjected. "Why take the survivors from the plant?"

Sanitori kept his back to the door and the gun firmly aimed at my heart. It was apparent from the way he nervously watched Clark that he knew he was special. "The explosion was a twofold plan. Firstly, make Luthorcorp look incompetent and liable. Secondly, we aimed to steal the research along with its results. The workers that survived made rather good lab rats, don't you think? And then there was the results Schenkel discovered about you," Our captor smirked at Clark then pretty smugly. "I always wondered why Lex spent so much good money investigating your family. Now I know."

Clark shivered and involuntarily touched his side where he had been injured. I could see he was getting angry, but he kept his temper in check pretty well considering. "Where all those deaths really worth getting payback?"

Sanitori shrugged and glanced briefly over his shoulder. I don't know if he'd heard a noise or if he had other cohorts in the building. Eventually, he settled again and answered. "Oh, there not all dead. The others in the room with you have simply been moved to another more secure facility. In fact, you'll be rejoining them soon. My partner and I couldn't possibly let someone with your uniqueness get away."

"And if I don't go back to that butcher, Schenkel?"

Sanitori pulled out his ace. He had a small, glistening fragment of meteor rock in his pocket just like the guy in the office back at White Summit. Nervously, he edged closer with it. "Oh, you'll come with me, but don't worry; you won't be seeing the good Dr. Schenkel again…"

I grimaced and watched in horror as Clark began to waver on his feet. Our captor wasn't close enough with the rock to bring Clark down, but he was in pain and I knew it. After a few tense moments, Sanitori backed off and left Clark panting. "What did you do to Schenkel," he asked, surprising me. "Did you kill him?"

"My business partner and I don't like incompetent people."

I choked, mockingly. "Isn't that kind of a weird statement considering you were fired from the Luthors for the exact same reason?"

Dominic leered back at me, but didn't take my bait. He gestured with his weapon to the door. "Shall we move outside? Your carriage awaits…" He kept a tight grip on the rock in his pocket, and I knew that for now we had to comply.

I took the lead, trying to keep Clark a safe distance from the deadly emerald meteor fragment. "You do realize whoever your mystery partner is, that they're probably just using you? I mean, from what I can see the person has way more money and influence than you. The word scapegoat comes to mind." I attempted to fish for information as we walked. I don't know what good I thought it would do me at this stage, but you can never have too much knowledge.

Sanitori had apparently already considered my idea. "The thought had crossed my mind," he admitted. "But as long as I see the Luthors go down I'll be happy. I spent years in their employment, grovelling and spending every hour of my life at their beck and call. It's time for them to know what it feels like to be intimidated."

I didn't believe Sanitori and his little consortium could bring down Lex or his father, but for now I shut my mouth. He wasn't going to tell who his partner in crime was just yet, and I had to live with it.

Outside the office I paused. I couldn't see anyone else who might be with 'Domineering Dominic', but poor Herb was out cold on the floor. I guessed our captor had slugged him while we had been looking at the disc.

"He'll live, probably…" Sanitori stepped cold-heartedly over Herb's slumped frame and opened the side cabin door. A black van awaited us with no rear windows. "Which is more than I can say for you," he smirked arrogantly.

I gulped and Clark moved a little closer to me protectively. I don't know what he thought he could do in our current predicament, but the thought was a kind one. "What are you going to do with Chloe once you have me back with the others?" My farmboy was asking questions I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answers to.

Sanitori slid back a side panel and ushered us in the van. "Oh I think we can find some use for Miss Sullivan. Who knows, she may even be a candidate for her own Wall of Weird when we're through with her."

I climbed inside and felt my stomach wrench at the thought of being some kind of meteor mutant. Clark followed me and put a hand reassuringly on my arm. "Don't worry, Chloe. We'll get out of this somehow," he whispered to me as Sanitori taped his meteor rock to the back panel, incapacitating Clark almost instantly.

I glowered at our kidnapper, but all I got for my trouble was a set of handcuffs slapped tights on my wrists. "Ouch! I can see you enjoy your new job," I felt like kicking him as he exited the rear of the Ford, but that wouldn't get me anywhere and he might shackle my feet too. I decided maybe I could use them to fight with later and backed off. "Are you going to be okay?" I put my attention to Clark who had slithered to the corner farthest away from the now glowing rock.

He nodded half-heartedly. "I'll live…as long as the journey isn't too long." Those green eyes sparkled just for a second, and then he curled into a ball on the cold metal floor.

In an attempt to at least keep Clark awake, I decided to start speculating on our new destination, and just who the mystery person was who might be there to greet us. "Any thoughts on who Sanitori's partner might be, or where we're going?" I shuffled over using my legs and let Clark rest his head on my leg. I thought maybe my body might shield him from some of the effects of the rock too.

Clark shook his head. "I don't know any of Lex's adversaries that well. He keeps his business dealings kind of private…" He grimaced. "Not that my mind is exactly working one hundred percent right now…"

My mind was working, but it wasn't coming up with anything useful. I looked around the sparse van interior, but there was nothing I could use as a weapon, or to try and pick the locks on my cuffs. I looked at Clark hopefully. "I don't suppose your heat vision works while you're sick?"

"Not really," Clark coughed and tried anyway, but all he managed was a squint that looked pretty painful itself. "Maybe if you could get rid of the rock…"

I took a look at where Sanitori had taped it. It was just about as far away from Clark as it was going to get unless I could toss it out the van. How I was supposed to do that when the Ford had no windows was a conundrum I couldn't fathom. Still, seeing as we could be confined for hours I figured it wouldn't hurt to pull off the tape if I could. Maybe if I could hurl the rock as soon as we got out Clark might be strong enough to put up a fight.

I shuffled again until I reached the panel where the glowing menace was secured. It seemed to taunt me as I approached it, and I wondered what the hellish ore was actually made of.

The handcuffs pretty much left me free to tug at the tape, so that wasn't a problem. Although, I broke two nails in the process and Clark heard me cuss just a little bit more than I would have liked him to.

"I see Lois has been teaching you bad habits," he smiled impishly through another obvious burst of pain.

I nodded as I finally pulled the rock from its resting place. "I just hope Lois is okay back there. What if there were more goons we didn't see. They could have…" I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence. Lois was alive. Herb was alive, and somehow we were all going to get out of this mess.

"Chloe," Clark suddenly looked startled. "I think the van's slowing."

I stopped my banter and listened. The engine note had definitely changed to a more subtle hum. To prove we were right, Sanitori tapped on the metal separating the cab from us with the butt of his gun. "It's time to rejoin your fellow freaks in the meteor rock play pen…" he laughed callously, and I knew that if we entered the new facility, we would never come out alive…

_TBC..._


	12. Chapter 12

**Nearly there now, Folks! Sorry for the delay! **

Seconds later, the van engine died and so did my little hope of escape. The side panel door slid open and I realized we were already inside our destination. It looked like some inner courtyard with a roof, and several guards clad in the same gear as at the other complex milled too and fro.

Sanitori took the meteor rock from my hand as I gaped at my new prison. He kept it close enough to keep Clark at bay, but not enough to stop him standing. "Welcome to Hell," he smirked and his English accent seemed to attenuate his leer.

I stepped down from the Ford and shot him a hate-filled look back before turning to check on Clark. He was getting to his feet, although he was pretty wobbly, so I decided to give him a hand out. Our captor didn't seem to mind. In fact, he found it almost amusing. "Ah, love's young dream…"

"Something you never experienced, huh, Dominic?" I couldn't help but make the comment, and I expected Sanitori to lash out at me for my snark. Instead, someone laughed at my sarcasm and agreed with my remark.

"How right you are, Chloe." I turned to see Dominic's business partner laughing at him. "He wouldn't know love if it bit him in the ass. Just like our old adversaries the Luthors…"

I gaped as I faced Victoria Hardwicke. She stood before us with her hands on her hips, looking as sultry as ever. I wondered just who she had seduced to finance White Summit and this new facility, but it didn't really matter. At least I now knew the 'why' in the equation.

Lex had once tricked Victoria and her father into buying a worthless lab facility. Now, she was paying him back by ruining Luthorcorp's labs and stealing their findings.

She seemed to notice my eyes watching her, but she looked past me to Clark. He was a little older than when she had last met him, and I saw the seductive sparkle in her eyes that said in other circumstances he may have been her next victim- and I don't mean in the labs!

As it was, she walked over and let a fingertip trace down his chest. "Long time no see, Clark, but who would have thought you of all people could be so special…" Victoria licked her lips and looked back at Dominic. "Even now he's twice the man you are, Sanitori," she taunted. "Pity I can't have some fun before the research resumes…"

Dominic was becoming annoyed, and I was unsure whether to stir him up some more by making some comment, or whether I should stay out of the mix like Clark was doing.

"Victoria, you can't let your desires stray you from our plan. We're here to bring Luthor down and make our own fortune from his losses, not play around with his one-time friend!" The gun in Sanitori's hand wavered from me towards Hardwicke, and I knew things were turning nasty. That might be good.

I watched the green glowing lump Sanitori still had, and wondered how fast Clark could recover to use his powers if I seized it. We wouldn't have long because of the plethora of guards, but it just might be enough.

"Victoria was never one to follow a plan, where you?" I goaded. "Didn't I hear you were in cahoots with both Lex and Lionel at the same time…that's how you got fooled with Star labs, wasn't it?"

Hardwicke spun away from Clark and I relaxed a little. I admit her attention to him had made me just a tiny bit jealous, even if her amorous feelings hadn't been returned. "You think you're so smart, don't you, college girl? Well, let's see how smart you are when you become our first lab animal." Victoria gestured for one of the guards to grab me, and that was when I pounced.

I lunged forward while still cuffed; knocking the green meteor rock out of Sanitori's grip before he knew what had hit him. He yelped in surprise, and we both tumbled to the concrete floor with a thump. I kicked out, trying to keep him down, but also trying to see what else was transpiring.

The green meteor fragment had landed perilously close to Clark and I could see he wasn't getting any better. If I didn't act fast the other guards would soon restrain me. Not only that, but Hardwicke was now diving for me to join in the melee. I kicked at the rock with my free boot heel and it skimmed across the floor with a clatter.

Within seconds, I could see Clark becoming more alert. A guard lunged at him, only to find his opponent had vanished. In a flash of superspeed, Clark had darted to safety and was now behind the befuddled man. He tapped the security man on the shoulder and then did his infamous 'skull tap' rendering his aggressor unconscious.

I would have smiled at how easy the move was, but I had problems of my own. Victoria had grabbed my hair and was pulling me off Sanitori in a valiant effort to grab his gun. I'm not sure at that stage which one of us she intended shooting first, but I didn't intend it being me.

I whacked her across the face with both my hands, and the metal handcuffs that still bound me left a nasty red welt across her cheek. "Bitch!" she screeched at me, but I ignored her and continued my tussle with Dominic before Victoria rejoined the fray.

Meanwhile, Clark was having more difficulties I had yet to know about. One of the smart Alec security guys had obviously heard about the new guinea pig coming in, and he knew about Clark's allergy. He grabbed the meteor rock and made a charge at Clark with his gun drawn.

Luckily, he wasn't initially close enough for the rock to have enough effect.

Clark hit his heat vision while darting sideways in a blur. The ray of intense energy from his eyes targeted his enemy's weapon, and the Glock pistol appeared to glow red in the man's hand. The next minute, the guard screamed and dropped the gun as it melted into an almost liquid lump. He shook his head, peering at Clark incredulously as he dropped the meteor rock too in amazement. Then, realizing the rumors he'd heard were all true, he made a run for the gate we had just entered via, followed by several of his scared co-workers.

In the courtyard, only Clark, Victoria, Dominic and I were left. Clark turned to the three of us squirming on the floor and obviously didn't know how to separate us. He eyed the gun, which I was now fighting Sanitori for, and I guess he decided he needed to neutralize it somehow. Heat vision so close to several flailing limbs just wasn't an option, though. So, Clark picked a bad guy, in this case Dominic, and dragged him at superspeed from the fight.

Dominic was pretty surprised, and so was I, but Victoria didn't bat an eyelid as her counterpart was heaved from our midst. As he was hauled skyward by my farmboy's powerful arms, Sanitori dropped his gun and yelped.

Hardwicke seized the opportunity to get her revenge for the scarlet weal on her face and grabbed the weapon. She rolled over, placing it to my temple before I could react.

"Put him down, Kent." Victoria's trigger finger itched, and I knew she would probably shoot me for spoiling her face whether Clark capitulated or not.

Clark being Clark, though, I knew he would never risk anyone's life. Slowly, he lowered the quivering Sanitori to the ground, but still kept a firm grip on his collar.

Victoria grinned at her dishevelled partner's terrified face. "You know what I did to our good Dr. Schenkel, don't you, Dominic?"

I saw Sanitori's expression change from fear, to understanding and then back to fear again in the blink of an eye. Clark's features showed much the same recognition. Victoria was going to shoot Sanitori and take the money, the glory, and the satisfaction all for herself. I guess that meant I would be next on the hit list too, but then I knew Clark hadn't finished his alien handy-work just yet.

Victoria laughed and pulled the trigger, letting off not one, but three rounds at the quivering Sanitori.

I couldn't see them whizzing through the air at some unknown speed, and yet I knew that Clark could. His eyes widened, and in the time it took me to blink he had made his decision and acted on it.

Clark let go of Sanitori and dived in the path of the three slugs. With an outstretched palm he swatted away the first two, and used his body to deflect the third.

Victoria howled and let off a fourth shot before putting her attention back on me. As Clark spun around to grab the final bullet, I heard the click of the hammer that signalled the next slug fired would be for me, and I knew even Clark couldn't be in two places at once.

I saw the anguish on his face as he realized what was happening, and I saw his lips move to form the scream, "No!"

Then, I heard the crack of a bullet being fired, and I waited for my skull to explode outwards…


	13. Chapter 13

To my surprise, my brains didn't suddenly find themselves splattered on the nearest wall, and instead, Victoria let go of me with a yelp of pain and stumbled to the ground, bleeding. I swallowed hard and took a second to compose myself before trying to figure out what had happened.

If living had been a shock, then the next revelation was even stranger. Clark and I both stood gaping as the complex began to fill out with men in garb that looked very similar to a SWAT teams'. Leading the group with an automatic drawn was a very familiar face. The face of the man who had just saved my life.

"Herb?" I mouthed, incredulously.

The man laughed but his voice sounded different- younger. "Not quite, Miss Sullivan." He pulled away his grimy cap and then gently began to tease at something in his hairline. As Clark and I watched, Herb Fresner, the old, cantankerous lodge owner, transformed before our eyes.

Herb or whoever he was, peeled away sections of synthetic skin and foam padding, and then finally removed the greying wig from his scalp. Beneath all the makeup, a man of no more than forty had been in hiding. "Who, what, how?" I stammered.

"My name is Special Agent James Fresner," he offered helpfully, "Are you two alright?"

Clark nodded and padded to my side. I think he had seen me begin to shake right after the initial shock of almost being shot set in. "How did you know where to find us?" he asked Fresner, cocking his head questioningly. "You were out cold when we left…"

James or whoever he was, smiled and watched as two of his uniformed counterparts cuffed Victoria and Sanitori. Then, he eventually answered. "I was never out cold. Sanitori couldn't deck me if he tried. The word wuss comes to mind…"

"So, you let him kidnap us and didn't do anything?" My voice rose as I realized we'd been used as bait.

Fresner shrugged apologetically. "We've known something big has been going on up here for months. We could have just stormed White Summit, but it wouldn't have gotten us the ring leaders. When you came to town looking for Mr. Kent here we had to let you get too close and watch what happened. I'm sorry it had to be that way."

Clark put his arm around me. "What about Lois? If you're an undercover Fed then…"

The agent waved a palm to calm us. "Don't worry; Miss Lane was in good hands. My 'brother' is actually my partner, and he has a medical degree. He's not a vet, trust me."

"A Fed and a doctor?" I felt like I was in some kind of crazed limbo in the Twilight Zone.

Still, Fresner nodded. "Yep, just like Scully on TV. Oh, except I, the partner, don't chase aliens, just criminals like Hardwicke and Sanitori."

"Is Lois okay?" It was Clark again, and you should have seen the look he gave Fresner at the mention of aliens!

We've had Lois taken to the nearest medical center to get checked out. One of our people is with her for safety reasons, obviously…"

"So, you're FBI or CIA?" I was getting bold now, wanting my story if they let me write one.

Fresner smirked. "Neither. Let's just say we have the public's best interests at heart. What Hardwicke has been up to was plain immoral for any reason, let alone to just to get revenge. This whole place and White Summit will be torn down and scoured for evidence of further inappropriate dealings."

Clark's eyes widened and I suddenly remembered the disc. Our friendly agent here had seen it. Heck, he'd decrypted it for us. Any second now he was probably going to ask for it back. I kept my mouth shut and hoped for the best. Fresner's next words told me I wasn't going to be so lucky.

"I don't suppose you still have that disc from the vet's office?" The expression on his face was a strange one- almost as if he knew I would say no, and why.

The thing was, I really didn't have it. "I left it back in the PC," I admitted woefully.

Clark shot me a look, but what was I supposed to do? They would find it anyway.

Fresner chortled again then, reminding me of his alter ego, Herb back in the truck. He tucked his weapon into a shoulder holster concealed under his shirt and then let a hand slip to a hidden pocket.

Clark almost gasped when the agent pulled out the missing disc. "You know, there's some really interesting stuff on here." He spun the CD around in his fingers. "I'd hate for it to get into the wrong hands and a good man go down…" Fresner flipped the disc over to Clark. "We're not all like you see on TV, Kid. Destroy that thing as soon as you can."

Clark was so surprised he almost missed catching the disc and it momentarily appeared like he was trying to juggle something that was hot to the touch. Once he'd regained control of his nerves and his hands he gave Fresner the most serious look I've ever seen on my farmboy's face. "Thank you…" Was all he could think to say.

The agent nodded and then turned to bark several orders to his approaching men. Hardwicke had been bundled into an ambulance and Sanitori was being loaded into a black Crown Victoria to face charges.

Clark and I watched as the whole scene folded in around us. After about thirty minutes, Fresner had a car ready to take us to see Lois. We thanked him, and after that day we never saw the cheeky agent again, or heard from his covert organization. It was surreal. It was like something straight out of a comic book.

In the back of the car we were in, Clark sat silently, gazing down at the disc that could have cost him his life. I wanted to console him, but I knew that Clark was the kind of guy that has to heal his inner wounds on his own.

As we met an intersection, he finally told me his thoughts. "I have one last debt to pay, Chloe. Will you help me?"

It took awhile to get the authorities to release rich Mitchell's remains, but by the time they did, Clark had earned enough money with a part time job to pay for a decent funeral. Lois and I chipped in what we could, too.

Without Mitchell, we would never have found Clark, and the epitaph on my farmboy's grave would have been a real one.

We owed Mitchell. The world owed Mitchell- it just didn't know it yet. If Clark had died at White Summit, the entire planet would have lost a great hero, and great man. And I would have lost a great friend.

We stood now at Mitchell's headstone as the wind gently whipped at us, indicating a storm was probably brewing. Lois had remained silent since we had arrived, and I had laid flowers and carefully arranged them despite the breeze.

Clark hadn't taken his eyes from the headstone for one moment, and I wondered just what thoughts were surging through his brain.

I wrapped my arm around his. "You paid your debt, Clark. There's nothing more you can do for Rich now."

He didn't seem to hear me, and at first I wondered if the Kryptonite exposure had messed with his auditory range. Then, just when I was about to speak again he turned.

"It's a debt I can never repay, Chloe, and one I will continue to try and settle up while ever I'm able…."

Clark walked away from me then in his dark suite, and I wondered just what he had meant. Any survivors from White Summit had been taken into various medical institutes. What else could Clark possibly do to placate his guilt?

Later, when Clark became Superman I was to understand. His lasting epitaph to Rich was simple. Rich had used his gifts to try and save Clark and the others, even though he knew he was dying. Now, and for always, Clark would use his abilities to do the same.

The stone monument smartly engraved on Rich Mitchell's tomb meant nothing. The real eulogy would stay etched in Clark's heart and mind forever, helping to drive him on to become a true legend.

I'm just glad that I can be part of that legend.

The End


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